


The Admiral's Birdcage

by QuietBubbles



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), dan and phil
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Cute, Cute Animals, Danger, Eventual Smut, Fairy Tale Elements, Fluff, Love Triangles, M/M, Obsession, Possession, Rescue, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Secret Relationship, Secrets, Shameless Smut, Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, a little bit Rapunzel, but mostly romance, risk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-01 15:43:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 40,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16287326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuietBubbles/pseuds/QuietBubbles
Summary: Daniel, an orphaned ward, has never set foot outside the Great House at the top of the High Street. His guardian, the powerful Admiral Malock, grows ever more obsessed with him, and hatches a terrible plan to keep him by his side forever. With Daniel approaching his twenty-first birthday and longing to see the world, Malock will go to any lengths to keep him prisoner. But when Philip, a young clerk, discovers Daniel trapped in his birdcage, a secret friendship leads quickly to love. Though there is danger at every turn, Philip knows he has to set Daniel free…Alternative Victorian England. Old-fashioned romance, fluff, obsession, danger, and smut. Also a cute kitty! Enjoy!





	1. Doors

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoy my latest attempt at fanfiction. I will update every day until it is finished! As usual, I feel a little weird using real people, but they are taken very much out of reality! Still, I hope to retain elements of character. There will be a lot of exposition in the first chapter to set the scene, so please stick with me and come back tomorrow! <3 
> 
> Enjoy! <3

Knock.

 “Yes?” Daniel looked up from his book, frowning slightly, for he was never ordinarily disturbed until lunchtime. Cross-legged in the centre of his four-poster bed, wearing a dressing gown over his clothes, he had not yet bothered even to brush his hair, which sprung outward in a halo of dark curls around his head. Hardly was he prepared for company.

 “The master requests you in the drawing room immediately.” came the cold voice of the butler through the ornate oaken door.

 “Oh,” said Daniel, feeling an odd stirring sensation in his stomach. There was nothing he wanted to do less than leave the warmth of his bedroom...but he was bound by obligation and could not refuse. “T-tell him I will be there presently.”

 With a sigh, Daniel carefully marked his place in his book, and set it down on his bedside cabinet. He combed his fingers through his hair a couple of times, subduing it, before stepping into his slippers and making his way towards the door. Into the oak-panelled hallway he went, his feet sinking deep into the crimson carpet. On his way, he passed a pair of maids, clutching various cleaning equipment, and whispering fervently to one another:

 “… _yes, yes, it’s true! He’s going to ask him next week_ … _I know, I know_!”

 Turning a corner, Daniel passed an aide of his guardian’s carrying a pile of heavy wooden boxes in his arms. Each one, he knew by the faint odour, was filled with boxes of exotic spices from across the sea. The sea itself, visible in the distance outside the window, was grey in the autumn sunlight, rolling lazily onto the stony shore, as ships swayed and bobbed in the harbour. At night, if there was absolute silence in the street outside, Daniel swore he could hear the gentle crashing of waves, the call of the seabirds, the sheer, unadulterated freedom of the ocean beyond…

 At the bottom of the main staircase, Daniel came to another oak-panelled door. Swallowing hard, he knocked respectfully upon the wood.

 “Come in!” came the low, rumbling voice from inside.

 Daniel turned the brass handle and pushed, revealing the dark drawing room beyond. There was an enormous bookshelf that took up the entirety of one wall, blocking the only window, entirely comprised of sea-faring tomes. The only source of light was the large fireplace, before which stood two crimson sofas, facing one another and separated by a low table. And, sitting grandly in a large crimson armchair, a matching footstool at his feet, was the great Admiral Malock himself.

 The Admiral was a large man in every sense of the word. He was not a bit fat, but he was brawny and vast, his shoulders endless, his arms thick. He was tall, even taller than Daniel was himself, and he wore, as he did every day, his pristine military jacket and full decorations. Even if one did not know that he was one of the richest men in England, even if they did not know his glorious history with the English navy, nor his prosperity in the spice trade, he still would have cut an extremely imposing figure. Though his hair was grey now, it was still thick upon his head, and he maintained a mature handsomeness, with dark, brooding features and a strong jawline. He seldom smiled-but now, he did, showing a lot of his false white teeth.

 “Ah! At last!” he called, his martial bark softened around the edges by age. “Good morning, daffodil.”   

 “Good morning, Father.” said Daniel, walking quickly into the drawing room-he knew better than to keep Malock waiting. He approached the old man, and bent to kiss the scratchy stubble of his cheek. At this proximity, he could smell his familiar odour of old sweat and stale biscuits. It seemed to grow more acute every year the Admiral aged…

 “Stand up straight so I can see you.” came the order, given, as always, as if Malock were back upon  his ship. This, Daniel did, and the Admiral took his time surveying his ward’s appearance. He sucked a great deal of air between his teeth, before remarking: “ _Well_. Aren’t you growing into a fine young man?”

 “Thank you.” said Daniel meekly. He felt rather like a prize animal being gawked at in a fair.

 “The very image of your father…” said the Admiral thoughtfully. At this point, a sort of sadness appeared behind his eyes, as it always did whenever Daniel’s late father was mentioned. This expression of twenty-year-old mourning always ignited a sort of jealousy in Daniel. He wished more than anything that he could have known his own true father enough to mourn him. The fact that the Admiral had been able to grow up with him, to serve in the Queen’s navy with him, even to be with him when he died…it seemed so grotesquely unfair.

 “Thank you.” he repeated, keeping his face carefully blank. “I am honoured.”

 “Sit.” Malock commanded. Again, Daniel obeyed at once, taking his seat upon the little footstool at the Admiral’s feet. “There’s a good boy. Now.” he said, absent-mindedly patting Daniel’s curls with his gnarled old fingers. “I trust you are looking forward to your birthday next week?”

 “Very much, Father.” said Daniel, with determined enthusiasm. He had long since learned to keep the Admiral happy by simply telling him everything he wanted to hear.

 “ _Good_. Well…since you are so special to me, and since your twenty-first is such a very important milestone…” He took on the air of a conjuror about to pull a rabbit from a hat. “I thought that you could have one of your presents just a little bit early. What do you think about that?”

 In spite of himself, Daniel could not help but feel excited. “Oh, yes please!”  

 With a loud clap, the Admiral had summoned another aide into the room (he seemed to have been waiting behind the door for his cue). Instead of boxes of spices, he carried a large blue-wrapped box, tied with a blue satin ribbon.

 “Thank you.” said Daniel kindly to the aide, when he placed the box in his lap.

 “ _Beat it_!” Malock barked at the aide, who jumped and skipped a little in his haste to get out of the room. “Useless, sluggish thing! Can’t get lads like you could in my day. A good _belting_ , that’s what these articles need, a good _belting_!”

  The strings of Daniel’s heart tugged with guilt and pity, as they did every time the Admiral spoke to staff members in such manner…But he did not have time to pity the aide for too long-for, to his surprise, the box in his lap had just given a high-pitched _meow-meow_!

 He looked up at the Admiral, hardly daring to believe it. Malock said nothing-but he nodded encouragingly, his smile now very wide. Unable to wait another second, Daniel pulled the lid off the top of the box-and gasped in delight. Staring up at him with bright, shining eyes, was a glossy black kitten. She had large, dish-like ears, a tiny black nose, and a little pink tongue she was using to _meow-meow_! In a single instant, Daniel fell in love.

 “ _Oh_!” he exclaimed, still in shock. Then, feeling as if he could cry with happiness, he lifted her out of the box, casting it onto the floor, and cuddled her to his chest. After a few seconds of initial wariness, she sank her claws into his shirt and began to cling on. This action alone, this babyish need to be held, almost made Daniel’s heart melt into butter. “Hello!” he said to her, his voice high with emotion. “Oh, aren't you the most adorable thing I have ever seen! Aren’t you? Aren’t you?” He buried his face in her soft fur, giggling with punch-drunk joy, as she began, very softly, to purr.

 “She’s from Callahan’s old moggy over the way,” Malock was saying smugly, looking extremely pleased with himself. His voice was like honey-a world from the harsh tone he had used with his servant. “Seven kits, she had. He was going to drown the lot of them, but I asked him to keep the prettiest. Only the best for you, hey?” He reached down to pet Daniel’s hair once more, as if he were a kitten too. “Now, I know how soft you are on animals, but you’d better keep this one in order. I tell you, if she’s a handful or a bother to me, she’ll have to follow her sisters into the wide blue yonder. But she’s all yours for now.”

 Daniel cuddled the kitten closer, trying not to think of her six little drowned siblings. “Thank you, thank you!”

 “Of course,” said Malock fondly. “I know how much you wanted one. Oh-and Callahan’s been calling her Sooty, on account of her coat. Not sure if she’ll answer to anything else now.”

 “ _Sooty_.” Daniel said, scratching behind her ears. As he did so, she began to purr louder, kneading his chest with her miniature paws. “Perfect.”

 “Yes, indeed.” said Malock. “You know how I feel about pets, but she’s a bonny little thing, I’ll say that. Well, Happy Birthday, daffodil.”

 Daniel looked up at his guardian and smiled broadly. “Daffodil” was a nickname he had been given as a child on account of his blond hair. It had long since darkened, but the name had stuck, and it was one of the many things he bore quietly from Malock. “Thank you, truthfully. I love little Sooty.”

 “Anything for you...” said Malock, his tone loaded. Then, he paused, suddenly looking grave. “I must confess that there is a hidden motive. You see, dear, I have been called away. I shall ride for London on Friday morning, and will not return until Monday night.”

 Daniel looked up from Sooty, confused. Then, after a moment-he realised. “Oh! You’ll miss-“  

 “Yes, I shall have to be away for your birthday.” Malock confessed. “I am most terribly sorry.”

 Daniel arranged his face into something that looked sad. “Oh _dear_ …” However-his heart had begun to thump, his brain to whirr. He swallowed hard, wondering if he dared ask…

 

 “I’m afraid you will have to spend the day alone...” Malock said gravely. “Still-now at least you will have Sooty to keep you company. _I_ shall miss you dreadfully, though.” He bent his head and kissed Daniel’s cheek, leaving a small wet patch behind. Daniel winced, forcing himself not to pull away. He was desperate to scrub the little wet patch off, but dared not. “I always miss you whenever I am away. I wish I could stay here with you always…”

 It was moments like this that Daniel wanted to run straight up to his room and lock the door behind him. _God_ …sometimes, the Admiral made his skin crawl. It hadn’t been so bad when he was younger, but the moment he had turned eighteen, Malock seemed to find every excuse in the book to touch him. A pat on his curls, a kiss on his cheek, an arm around his waist, a hand in the small of his back…never was it _overtly_ sinister, but it always made the hairs on the back of Daniel’s neck stand up.

 Still…this particular rush of affection filled him with confidence. “Father…” he began, still petting Sooty, who had clambered down into his lap and curled up, looking as if she might fall asleep from the excitement of the day. “I…I wondered if I could ask for just one more birthday present?”

 “Oh?” Malock raised his eyebrows indulgently, looking amused. “Well, I suppose, if it is in my power, you may have it.”

 Daniel’s belly was sick with nerves. But he forced his mouth to form the words. “I…I was thinking…since-since you’re so sorry to miss my birthday…perhaps…perhaps I could…come with you to London?”

 Silence.

 The Admiral’s face darkened, as if it was a sky that had clouded over. The deafening quiet was broken only by little Sooty’s purring. Daniel’s heart was beating like a drum-but he knew that he had to try. “I-I wouldn’t be any trouble!” he stammered. “I’d-I’d just love to see London. It would m-m-mean so much to me if I was able to-“

 “Go to your room, Daniel.”

 “I-“

 “Go to your room _. Now.”_

* * *

  _Rat-a-tat-tat-tat._

 Philip took a respectful step back from the door, shifting his heavy bag into a more comfortable position on his shoulder. He smoothed his jet-black hair down beneath his cap, and prepared himself for what his superiors had promised would be one of the least pleasant encounters of his life.

 After a moment, the front door swung open to reveal the great Admiral Malock. The aide, who had opened the door to save his master the trouble, sprang backward, hidden in the shadows of the entrance hall. The poor lad look half-terrified-but Philip was determined not to be fazed. “Good morning, sir!” he chirped, grinning determinedly. “I hope you’re well!”

 The Admiral grimaced down at him, as if he were no more than a piece of scum on the sole of his shoe. “You’re not the usual boy. Where is Mitchell?”

 “Oh, Mitch came down with the influenza.” Philip cast his eyes down sadly. “He-he died last night...”

 The Admiral was quiet for a few moments. Then, he rolled his eyes. “How careless of him.”

 “I know, his poor mother and father….” said Philip gravely. “The funeral is to be on Wednesday, if you would like-?”

 “Of course not.” snapped the Admiral, who seemed to consider the death of a young man nothing more than a fly in the ointment of his day. “Well, I suppose you shall have to do instead. Where are my papers?”

 “Right here, sir!” Philip kept his smile resolutely in place as he pulled a large wallet full of official documents from the bank out of his bag and presented them with a flourish. “I took the trouble to alphabetize them, so that everything will be a little more logical for you, and I-“

 “Yes, yes, whatever!” The Admiral impatiently snatched the papers and threw them to his aide, who narrowly avoided dropping them. “I haven’t the time to waste exchanging pleasantries with dogsbodies like you! Beat it!”

 “Good day, sir-“ Philip began-before the door slammed in his face.

 As he stood, slightly in shock, the smile slipped from his face and into the gutter. Philip realised that his superiors had been right. The Admiral really was a miserable old sod. He knew that he oughtn’t take such things personally, but it was rather difficult. _Dogsbody_ …it was true, he supposed. But only for the moment. He may have come from very little indeed, but Philip had _ambition._ He had plans, hopes, dreams…he would show the likes of Admiral Malock just what he was made of…

 Trying to recapture his habitual cheerfulness, Philip turned on his heel and climbed down the steps, humming to himself as he went. As he reached the cobbles of the street once more, he turned, and looked up at the Great House, white-brick and three stories high at the top of the High Street. It was the sort of townhouse the likes of Philip could never hope to rise to, the dwellings of the wealthy and the powerful…but he pressed his lips together, steeling himself. No matter what it took, no matter what little he had come from, he knew that one day, _he_ would live in a house like this…

 As he gazed up at the Great House, Philip could not help but imagine himself living there. One day, when he rose through the ranks of employment, when he showed the world what a boy from nowhere could become…no matter what past he was leaving behind…he would call a place like this home. And when he answered the door to junior clerks, _he_ would _always_ treat them with respect…

 Philip nodded to the Great House, as if it was his adversary in battle. _One day. One day_ -

 At that very moment, as he regarded the house-something caught Philip’s eye.

 High up, on the third floor…there was a figure, sitting on the windowpane.

 Philip started. Then, pulled by a force he could not explain, he took a few paces backward, right off the pavement, and looked up.

 There, in the second window from the right, gazing out at the world…was a boy. He could not have been more than a few years younger than Philip himself. He had a head of perfect dark curls, vivid brown eyes so appealing that they could be seen all the way from the street below, and skin as pale as the moon. Philip had never seen such skin, as if it had never been touched by the sun. Indeed, he had never seen anyone like this boy in his life. The dark lashes folded over his eyes, those sweet, soft cheeks, those lips so full and lush they appeared to bear a permanent kiss…Philip’s heart gave a sort of flutter, of a manner he had never experienced before. He found that his breath had become lodged in his throat.

 Suddenly, a strange force overtook him, like magnet to metal. Though Philip knew that his feet were placed firmly on the ground, it was as if he was being lifted up, carried by the wind to the window…straight to the boy.

 He felt wrong-intensely wrong. To gawk up at someone so openly was rude at best. Still-in the grip of this new, strange force, he felt that he could not help but stare. He thought that the boy may look different on closer inspection-his skin would not glow, his eyes would not be so beguiling, his countenance would not appear so utterly divine…but Philip soon found that the opposite was true. The more he stared, the boy in the window only became more _confoundingly_ lovely…Philip was just that. Confounded. Beyond belief...

 How could such a person be real? Philip blinked hard, as if expecting the boy to disappear…and yet, there he remained. Gazing out at the world with the saddest, strangest eyes Philip had ever seen… _who_ -?

 _“NEIGH_!”

 CRASH!

 Philip did not have time to think-he simply leaped. The next thing he knew, he was staring down at the cobbles of the street, his nose inches from the ground. Pain shot through his hands and knees, on which he had landed.

 “Oi!” a gruff voice yelled. “Watch where you’re going! Nearly got yourself killed!”

 Philip lifted his head, rather dazed, to see a horse and cart clopping off down the road. He had narrowly just avoided being crushed under its wheels. It was only then it occurred to Philip that he had, in his curiosity, stepped right back into the middle of the road, only to look at the boy in the window...

 Hurriedly, he picked himself up, and scurried back to the pavement, dusting himself down as he went. Then-he looked up.

 Miraculously-the boy in the window was still there.

 But, even more so-he was looking right back.

 And he was _smiling_.

 No. He was _giggling_. His mouth hidden behind his hand, he was laughing at Philip fit to burst. Philip was confused for a second-then, he realised. Apparently, he had found his near-death experience highly amusing.

 Philip felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment-what a fool he was! Still-he could not help but grin back, rolling his eyes at his own stupidity. Once more, he thought upon how lovely the boy was...Then-daring himself-he raised a hand in greeting.

 At this acknowledgement-the boy started. A flash of fear crossed those brown eyes, and he stopped perfectly still. Now, they were gazing directly at one another.

 A long pause.

 Slowly, and very shyly…the boy waved back.

 Then, in a swish of crimson curtains-he vanished.

 Philip was left, dusty, bruised and breathless, in the street.


	2. Windows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Thank you so so much for reading, I really appreciate it <3 and for your commenting and kudos! You are all very kind. 
> 
> More tomorrow! I hope you enjoy this xxx
> 
> Content Warning-the Admiral will get very, very creepy...

 Little black tail in the air, Sooty trotted across the crimson carpet, exploring her new home. On her travels, she stopped occasionally to sniff at something, or to jump up onto low pieces of furniture and look out from her new vantage points. Behind, Daniel followed her from room to room, like a devoted parent, ensuring that she did not get into any trouble. For the first few days, he had confined her mostly to his room so as not to overwhelm her, but now, he had decided, she would be allowed full run of the house. Still, this was not without its dangers.

 “ _No_ , Sooty.” he said firmly, stopping her from scratching upon a cabinet in the parlour. He did not want to give the Admiral a single reason to dislike the cat-or, indeed, to get rid of her. Daniel had wondered, after the argument in the drawing room, whether he would be allowed to keep Sooty at all. Luckily, she had remained with him, but that didn’t mean Daniel could relax. “Don’t, darling. Scratch in my room, like we practised.”

 Sooty did not appear to care about such trivialities as where to scratch, but she rubbed her warm little body around his ankles, purring, before trotting off to inspect the sofa beneath the window. Daniel sighed fondly, following on. As he approached the window, which looked directly onto the street beyond, Daniel could not help but check the faces of every passer-by. He had not yet admitted this to himself, but now, he was searching for one particular face…

 Daniel had spent most of his life looking out of windows, at the citizens of the free world going about their lives. Men in tall hats, going off to work, women in colourful dresses, clutching umbrellas and shopping bags, and children dashing about with balls and hoops, at play on the cobbles below. As a child, Daniel had been envious, of course, but in truth, he much preferred staying inside and reading to running around or playing sport. Still, he had felt a pang every time he looked out.

 At the age of about six, Daniel remembered clambering up onto the Admiral’s lap, and asking him why he wasn’t allowed to play outside like the other children.

 “ _It is much too dangerous out there for you, daffodil. The world outside is wicked and sinful, full of nothing but criminals and degenerates who would hurt and corrupt you. In here, with me, is the only place you are safe_.”

 As a child, Daniel had believed it.

 But now, he was grown. He had read hundreds and hundreds of books about the outside world, and through the eyes of the authors, he had seen quite another world. A world of adventure, a world of journeys and voyages, a world of politics and passion, a world of love. Every time Daniel turned the final page, he felt that all the wickedness and sinfulness in the world was worth it, simply to live recklessly.

 On his sixteenth birthday, Daniel had asked again.

 “ _It is much too dangerous out there for you, daffodil. The world outside is wicked and sinful, full of nothing but criminals and degenerates who would hurt and corrupt you. In here, with me, is the only place you are safe.”_ But, this time, the Admiral had continued. “ _Now you are almost a man, the world is more dangerous than ever. There are those who will want to use you, in the way that men use young innocents for their own pleasure. I would never let that happen to you. You must keep yourself pure, and whole, and remain with me always.”_

 This notion had frightened the teenage Daniel greatly, and once more, he had gone back to believing that he was better off hidden away in the Great House. But, in recent months…he found himself beginning to wonder more and more as to exactly what being “used for pleasure” might feel like…

 But for now, all he could do was gaze out the window, checking the faces of the passers-by. But still, as had been the case for three days now, there was no sign of the person he was looking for. He was  certain he would have spotted that face in a crowd of thousands. That pale, earnest face, contrasting so strikingly with a head of black hair, those extraordinary electric-blue eyes…the face of the youth who so ridiculously had almost been run down by the horse and cart before his eyes, who had grinned up at him so dazzlingly that Daniel had felt as if he was staring into the sun itself…

 Daniel had not stopped thinking about him.

 It was ridiculous, and he knew it. In this whole town, what were the chances of seeing him again? Slim to nothing at all. And yet…this did not stop him from checking the streets outside every couple of seconds. Especially now he was on the ground floor…as he played with Sooty on the sofa, like a fool, he could not help himself…

* * *

 In every door in the Great House, there was a tiny hole.

 Daniel, who had known nothing else, thought little of them and assumed that they were the norm. He scarcely even noticed them. Less so did he realise what exactly they were for.

 The holes were just below eye-level, so that a man like the Admiral had to stoop slightly to look through them. But this he did. He pressed himself close to the parlour door, and shielded his eyes from the light, before looking directly through.

 Before Daniel had come to live with him, when he had been a younger man, the Admiral had held the most incredible private parties. He would bring young men and women of the night into every single room; witty, beautiful, experienced creatures, well-paid for their time. Then, he would fill the house with fifty or more of his friends; eager men of the navy, who laughed loudly and drank hugely. Champagne would flow freely, and soon the corridors would reek of earthly delights, the sounds of pleasures of the flesh echoing from the walls…and, all the while, the Admiral would take a leisurely walk from room to room, peering through these holes at the activity within…

 When Daniel’s dear father had died, the Admiral had adopted the then blond-headed toddler at once. In one fell swoop, he had paid his last respects to his dead comrade, improved his social reputation, and ensured that he would not spend his twilight years alone. Of course, the moment the child had come to live in the Great House, the Admiral stopped these “parties” at once. For almost fifteen years, the holes in the doors had collected dust as Daniel grew from babe to child, then from adolescent to young man. However, the moment the boy turned sixteen…the Admiral had begun to feel…temptations.

 He had resisted, of course. This was _Daniel_ , his ward, whom he had raised from a child, the son of his deceased best friend. A poor orphan boy in his care. He refused, absolutely refused, to corrupt the boy he had protected all his life from all the wickedness of the world…but, as the years went by, it grew more and more difficult to differentiate Daniel from the beautiful young boys he had watched fuck one another in these very rooms…

 By the time Daniel was eighteen, he had made his choice.

 Never would he touch Daniel in sin. Never would he corrupt the boy’s innocence, to tarnish his purity with such depravity. But…he could never let anyone else touch him either. No. There was only one thing for it. To keep Daniel safely by his side forever, he had long since planned to marry the boy. Then, and only then, would he permit himself...

 The Admiral never allowed himself to think upon this for too long, otherwise he found his desires unbearable…but he could not help but look. Daniel was so beautiful, so tantalising, so endlessly fascinating to watch…He never watched him when he was in any state of undress, mind. He wasn’t a pervert, not with Daniel, never with Daniel. He only…liked to watch him. To watch him when he was doing ordinary things, such as reading, eating, playing with his kitten…and, sometimes, when he slept… _That_ wasn’t perverted...Was it?

 In his heart, the Admiral knew that it was wrong. But Daniel was _his_. His very own. And soon, he would be so forever. Was a man not allowed to look at his possessions from time to time?

 The Admiral watched Daniel giggle as Sooty attempted to jump up onto the windowsill.

 “Oh, no, you’re much too little to reach!” he was saying. “Here, let me help you.” With that, he lifted the kitten up onto the windowsill, so she could see the world outside. “There. Now you can see. Isn’t it wonderful out there…?”

 A small smile formed around the Admiral's lips. What a perfect little daffodil he was…

 “Sir?”

 A voice from the end of the corridor.

 “What?” the Admiral barked back, not troubling himself to look up from his viewing.

 “We need you to sign the papers from India.” said the waiting aide. “They’re about to arrive from the bank.”

 “Oh…” The Admiral rolled his eyes-then took a last look at his ward, who was scratching his cat behind the ears and pointing at something outside. _I’ll see you later_ … “I’ll be there now.”

* * *

 “You see, Sooty, that’s the postman going by,” said Daniel, pointing out the slender young man in uniform, flitting between houses with an enormous bag of letters over his shoulder. “You’ll get to meet him soon enough, when you’re a little bit bigger…” He chuckled softly. “All cats chase postmen, don’t they? And I suppose you can chase the milkman too. But don’t you go chasing the staff, or the aides, now. They suffer enough, God knows…”

 He rubbed the kitten between the shoulder blades, sighing. “I will let you out into the world, Sooty. I know some people keep their cats in their houses, but I would hate to confine you here for good…You must promise always to come back, though, cat. And you must tell me all about everything you see…”

 Daniel looked down for a moment, grieving his lost chance at freedom. Even if it were only with the Admiral, he would have given anything to see London…but quickly, he riled himself. Otherwise, he felt, he would be miserable all afternoon…

 “And look! There’s old Mr. Callahan!” Daniel pointed at the wizened old fellow, tapping his way down the street on his walking stick. “Do you remember him? He keeps your mother! Do you remember your mummy, Sooty?...I wish I could remember mine…”

 Sooty did not appear to recall, but she licked Daniel’s fingers comfortingly with her rough pink tongue.

 “And there’s-oh!”

 Daniel almost jumped out of his skin. He blinked rapidly, terrified his eyes were playing tricks on him. But, after a few seconds of sheer shock-he realised that it was true.

 There, on the opposite side of the street, as clear as day, and fast approaching the front door of the Great House…was the dark-haired youth!

 Daniel could hardly believe it. After three whole days of watching, of hoping…he could not help but stare. The youth was dressed exactly the same way, his huge heavy bag of bank documents on the same shoulder, his cap at the same angle on his head. Even as he crossed the road, Daniel could tell that he was humming to himself. How cheerful he seemed! The longer he looked at him, the more he seemed to catch the feeling from him, the warmth, the happiness, the notion that everything was going to be alright…

 Daniel watched, riveted, from his place by the window. Sooty, on the other hand, quickly lost interest and began to lazily clean her paws. But Daniel simply could not tear his eyes away…

 The youth knocked on the front door, and took a respectful step back, fixing that wonderous bright smile upon his face. A moment later, some aide must have answered the door, because his mouth was moving in greeting. Never for a moment did he stop smiling as he retrieved a handful of perfectly ordered documents from his bag, and presented them with a flourish. Then, after waving goodbye, he stepped down from the doorstep and began to walk away, humming as he went.

 Daniel’s heart sank in his chest. All this waiting for half a minute! He could not believe that the youth was leaving so quickly! He knew that he oughtn’t stare-goodness knows, he would certainly not like to be looked at without his knowledge. But, oh, he would have given anything for the youth to notice him, to smile at him again!

 Then-a miracle.

 Just as the youth was about to cross the road once again-he turned on the kerb, to look up at the Great House. Daniel could see those brilliant blue eyes moving from window to window. Could it be…could it be that he was looking for someone? Looking for _him_?

 Before Daniel could stop himself, or overthink what he was about to do-he knew he had to take his chance.

 He waved.

 Instantly, those blue eyes snapped to the ground floor parlour window-and the youth’s face broke into the biggest smile Daniel had ever seen. He looked more than a little surprised-but extremely pleased. Daniel’s heart fluttered in his chest as they smiled at one another, two perfect strangers-but, somehow, it was as if they were friends.

 Suddenly, the youth began to make strange gestures. He was pointing at the window, and frantically miming pulling something. Daniel blinked for a moment-before, quickly, he caught on. The youth wanted him to open the window.

 Did he dare?

 The Admiral would certainly never allow it.

 But…oh, what did he care what the Admiral thought? He was his own person, after all-what if he never got another chance to see the youth? And-and what if he never got another chance to…speak to him?

 Daniel had never spoken to another young man before.

 It was as if someone had overtaken his body. Somehow, without so much as his instruction, his hands had taken the brass handle. Affronted, Sooty leapt down onto the floor, displaced from her perch on the sill. But Daniel pushed.

 The window fell open before him.

 “Hello!”

 The youth looked delighted. He approached the window, looking up at Daniel from the street and beaming. "Hey there!" 

 “H-Hello!” Daniel stammered. He was still gripping the handle for dear life, with what he realised were trembling hands. Still-he found that he was grinning back. He simply could not help himself.

 “It’s wonderful to meet you.” the youth was saying, as if he regularly spoke to people hanging out of windows. “Philip, at your service.” He gave a comic little bow, at which Daniel giggled.

 “Daniel. At yours.”

 “And are you the Admiral’s son?” Philip asked brightly. He seemed to be just as enchanted with Daniel as Daniel was with him. Once more, he could feel his heart racing.

 “Oh no! I’m his ward.”

 “Ah!” Philip raised an eyebrow, looking rather mischievous. “Good. Then I suppose you still stand a chance of being a decent person.”

 Daniel spluttered, feeling terribly guilty-but, all the same, there was a rush to it. He simply could not believe what he was doing. But, to his dismay-he found that he was utterly dumbstruck. He could not think of a single word to say to this handsome young man at the window…what a fool he was! All he could do was smile shyly down, trying not to show how much he had begun to blush.

 Luckily, Philip did not seem shy at all. He simply twinkled up at him. “Look…I’m sorry if this seems terribly forward. Do say no, if you want to, I won’t be offended! But…” He grinned. “I think you’re just about the loveliest person I’ve ever seen, and I would kick myself if I didn’t get to know you better. I wondered, Daniel, if you would like to come out with me sometime?”

 Daniel had to stop himself from gasping out in shock. _Come out_?

 But what about all the dangers in the world? Everything the Admiral had warned him about?

 Oh, what did it matter? As Daniel looked down at Philip, the answer was, only:

 “ _Yes_! Yes, I’d like that very much!”

 “Great!” Philip could not quite hide how relieved he was. “Oh good! I thought you’d definitely turn me down, what with me being _me_ , and you being-well, the Admiral’s ward! I thought you’d never say yes in a million years! But the fact that you did makes me think even more of you.” His eyes were as shiny as Sooty’s.

 “What do you mean, you being you?” Daniel asked, frowning slightly.

 “Oh!” Philip looked a little guilty. “I didn’t mean no offence, of course! Just that-you know, members of the aristocracy don’t normally want to know clerks like me!”

 “Well, that’s silly, then,” said Daniel, still gazing at him. “ _I_   want to know you very much!”

 Now, Philip laughed. It was such a delightfully sunny laugh, seeming to echo all the way up into the heavens…Daniel could not help but smile back. “Oh, you’re so sweet. But I’m not sure what Admiral Malock would have to say about me!”

 “Ah…” Daniel bit his lip slightly. “Perhaps you’re right…but…but…” He steeled himself, pursing his lips. “ _Bother_ the Admiral. How about tonight?”

 Again, Philip laughed, looking joyfully shocked. “Well, if you’re certain…But I can’t tonight, I’m afraid, I’m working late. How about tomorrow?”

 “Yes!” said Daniel, before he could give it a second thought. “Yes, please!”

 “Alright then,” Philip nodded, shifting his bag upon his shoulder and preparing to go back to work. “I’ll meet you here at seven, and not a minute after.”

 “See you then!” Daniel’s heart was thumping fit to burst.

 “Yes, certainly! Well, goodbye, Daniel.” Philip waved jauntily to him. He took a long, final look at him, before starting off down the street, humming a cheery tune as he went. Now, there was a spring in his step. “See you!”

 “Goodbye Philip!” Daniel called after him, waving until he disappeared out of sight. “Goodbye!”

 The moment he had disappeared, Daniel slammed the window shut, trembling all over. He could not quite comprehend what he had just done. How, in less than five minutes, had everything changed so drastically! How was it even possible that Daniel, who had never left this house in his life, had just agreed to go out with a complete stranger? And _what_ a stranger…how beautiful he was, how sunny, how kind those blue eyes! Daniel’s heart felt as light as a feather.

 How on Earth was he going to escape the house?

 But he would have to worry about that when the time came. For now, he lost himself in bliss. _Philip_. The name alone was like honey on his tongue…

 “Oh, Sooty, I can’t _believe_ it!”

 “ _Daniel_?”

 Daniel jumped a mile. From behind the door, a low voice rumbled.

 “Yes, Father?” he called back.

 “Were you _talking_ to someone in there just now?” The Admiral sounded most suspicious.

 “Oh!” Daniel stooped to pick up his kitten, rubbing his face in her glossy black fur in an attempt to calm himself down. “Just Sooty!” he called back, trying to keep his voice even. "Just Sooty!" 

 “Hmph…”


	3. Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Wow, thank you so so much for all the love for this story! I'm so happy you are all reading, and hopefully enjoying this as much as I am! I really appreciate all of your comments and kudos too <3 you guys are awesome. 
> 
> Sorry for the slightly short chapter today-there will be a longer one tomorrow that will, I promise, be full of fluffy fluffiness...and maybe something else too <3 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! xxx

 “Ah! Daniel!”

 Daniel almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of his name. He had been attempting to bypass the drawing room’s open door on his way up the stairs. But, it seemed, his presence had been detected.

 “Yes, Father?”

 Inside the room, the Admiral was lounging on the crimson sofa beside the roaring fireplace. The sky was a deep navy blue outside the mostly-obscured window, and the place would have appeared warm and cosy, were it not for its occupant.

 “Come in and talk to me. Don’t shout from the hall like a common sailor.”

 Daniel’s stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch. It was almost seven o’clock…Philip was to be meeting him in less than ten minutes…this thought made all of Daniel’s guts positively  _swoop_ inside him…

 “Er…I was actually just on my way up to bed. I’m-I’m feeling quite tired, and-“

 “Well, come and say goodnight then!” The Admiral made it clear in his tone that there was no room for debate. Hiding the smallest of sighs, Daniel was forced to enter the drawing room. There, he found his guardian, nursing a small glass of port and looking extremely tired. However, he forced his mouth into a crinkled smile as Daniel approached him. “There now…” He took his time taking in his ward’s appearance, before sucking air through his false teeth in crude satisfaction. “You look absolutely delightful this evening, my daffodil. I do believe you grow beautiful every day.”

 “T-thank you, Father.” Daniel rushed. He had indeed spent rather more time styling his hair than usual, and was dressed in immaculate black. But all of his effort had certainly not been for the Admiral. Still, the old man seemed determined to take it that way, looking more gratified by the moment.

 “Indeed…” Setting his glass down upon the coffee table, he patted the sofa beside him. “Sit.”  

 Once again, this was given as a naval order. Daniel had no choice but to obey. So, conscious of every passing second, he took his seat on the soft sofa cushions beside his guardian. This appeared to greatly please the Admiral, whose smile widened to almost toad-like proportions. At this proximity, his stale odour was more pronounced than ever. Daniel had to fight not to recoil.

 “Good boy…” the Admiral praised him, as if he were a little dog. Then, like the slimiest of poisonous snakes, Daniel felt an arm slide around his waist, the hand resting firmly upon his side. A shiver of disgust ran down his spine.

 “You really are so very sweet…” came the voice, as sticky as syrup. “You always have been, ever since you were a babe. Just like a little china doll…” Another hand came to rest upon his curls, testing their springy softness. “Simply _exquisite_ …” he half-whispered, his tones caressing.

 Daniel want to _vomit_.

 Suddenly-the Admiral’s tone took on a very different note. It was not particularly harsh…but still, beneath its smooth façade-there was a definite note of threat. “You won’t ever leave me, will you, daffodil?”

 A painful lump rose in Daniel’s throat. Still, he knew, there was only one answer he could give. “N-no, Father.” He lied. “N-never.” Another cold shiver danced about his spine.

 “ _Good_ ,” The Admiral sounded more than placated. Smiling serenely, he continued to pet Daniel’s hair, gently squeezing his waist. “ _That’s_ right. You could never manage without me, could you?” He gave a tender sigh. “You’re much too precious, much too naïve, to survive in this harsh, wicked world…Whatever would you do if you were away from me?” A series of soft tutting noises. “Oh _dear_ …It would be a complete disaster, wouldn’t it? No…” He leaned in closer, his breath warm on Daniel’s neck. “You’ll stay at home with me, where it is safe, always…”

 Daniel could not hold back a tremble of pure disgust. But still…the Admiral’s words struck a chord deep inside him. Oh God. What was he _doing_ , sneaking out on his own to meet a complete stranger? What did he know of the outside world? Cold fingers closed around his heart…perhaps Malock was right. Perhaps he _was_ too naïve…Daniel gulped hard.

 “When I return from London…” the Admiral continued, abandoning Daniel’s hair to instead take hold of his left hand. “…I will be bringing you back a very special birthday gift…” For a second, he stroked the proximal of Daniel’s ring finger…“I am sure you will be just as delighted with it as you were with that cat of yours…if not, far, far more…”

 Daniel did not know what to make of this. He merely nodded slowly, somehow doubting that anything the Admiral could give him now would ever compare to Sooty. But he had much greater things to worry about now. Did he really, truly, dare to leave the house?

 “ _Anyway_ ,” said the Admiral, breaking abruptly into his thoughts and slapping him bracingly upon the thigh. “I shan’t say any more on the matter, or I shall spoil the surprise! Now-weren’t you off to bed?”

 “Oh-yes.” said Daniel, quickly regaining his senses. Glad of an excuse to get to his feet, he practically sprang up from the sofa and out of his guardian’s clutches. “Goodnight, Father. Sleep well.” He made to leave.

 “Don’t I get a kiss?”

 Daniel stopped, another shiver passing through him. There was nothing he wanted to do less. But, eager to get it over with and to be allowed to leave, he turned back, and planted a dry kiss on the old man’s cheek.

 “Goodnight, my daffodil. Sweet dreams…”

 The moment Daniel closed the drawing room door-he bolted at top speed up the stairs, clearing them two at a time and breathing very hard. He felt somehow dirty, as if the Admiral had sullied him in some way, and he had to fight the urge to go and take an extremely hot bath. But there was no time for that now. As his bedroom door banged shut behind him-he knew that he had to make his choice, that very moment.

 Did he dare?

 Daniel looked at the elongated pile of clothing and cushions he had already arranged inside his bed, to look as if he was sleeping under the covers, should anyone come to investigate. As long as he was back before morning, everything would be fine…Beside the lump, Sooty lay snoozing, apparently unable to tell the difference between her sleeping master and a collection of inanimate objects. This was comforting at least. Outside his wardrobe, there hung his best black coat, along with a black scarf and a pair of black gloves. None of these articles had ever been worn. One who spent his entire life indoors had no need of such warm winter clothing…

 No. He couldn’t. The Admiral was right. The world was too dangerous. He was too frightened.

 In the hallway below, Daniel heard the clock strike seven times.

 Philip would be outside, right at that very moment.

 Oh.  _Philip_. Daniel conjured his face once more in his mind’s eye. Those kind blue eyes…Daniel’s heart felt as if it was floating on a cloud. Oh _God_. He couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing him again. He _had_ to see him.

 He had to be brave. He had to go. Otherwise, he was certain, he would never leave this house as long as he lived.

 “Bye, Sooty.” he mumbled to the sleeping kitten, as he pulled on his coat, scarf, and gloves, with shaking hands. “See you later!”

 Then-after checking that the lump in the duvet could definitely pass for him in the dark-he stole from his bedroom and ran noiselessly down two flights of stairs. He had never done so much running in his life-but every vein of his being was suddenly filled with adrenaline. He was going to see Philip…he was going to see the world…

 Luck was on Daniel’s side. He did not meet a single person on his way through the Great House. As he passed the drawing room, he walked on the very tips of his feet so as not to make a sound. Thank goodness the Admiral did not hear, nor call out his name. Perhaps he had fallen asleep in front of the fire, port slopping onto the front of his waistcoat…nonetheless, Daniel had made it.

 And now-he stood in the parlour.

 There was the window, looming over him, through which he had first spoken to Philip, through which he would find the gateway to the greatest adventure of his life…

 He paused, taking a long, deep breath. The noise seemed to echo all around the room.

 Then, before he could hesitate for a moment longer-Daniel strode over to the window, and pulled on the handle. Instantly, a cold, crisp night breeze hit him squarely in the face. He could see the shine of the damp cobbled street, hear the calls of distant partygoers in the centre of town, and, most wonderfully of all, smell the far-away salt of the sea…he stopped for a second, closing his eyes to drink it in as if it were his own lifeblood…

 “Daniel?”

 Daniel’s heart leapt hugely in his chest at the sound of the new, yet deliciously familiar, voice.

 There, standing in the glow of a nearby streetlamp, dressed in a long blue overcoat and clutching his usual bulging bag over his shoulder…and looking more handsome than ever...was Philip.

 “Why are you climbing out of the _window_?”

 “ _Shh_!” Daniel hissed desperately. He clambered onto the windowsill, balancing on his knees for a moment, before swinging his legs up and over. Then, he dropped, landing only slightly precariously on the cobbles below. As he wobbled to his feet-it was as if a great fire had been ignited inside him. This was it. He was _free_. “Quick! We have to go! Now!”

 And with that-he grabbed Philip by the hand, and swept him off into the night.  


	4. Soaring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading, and for all your comments and kudos-I appreciate it so much! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it <3 more tomorrow, much love! xxx

 Philip wasn’t one hundred per cent certain what was going on. He had concluded that he must have left reality behind the day before, the moment the great Admiral’s ward had flung open his window to greet him. All that he knew for certain was that an extraordinary person named Daniel had just climbed out of that same window, grabbed him by the hand, and dragged him off into the night. Now, they were in an alternate universe, where anything was possible. Philip had no idea where they were going-into the sea, for all he cared. All that mattered was that this remarkable human being was by his side, his warm hand in his…he felt as if they were flying.

 When they were a street away from the Great House, Daniel slowed down, then came to a stop outside a public house. He bent over slightly, still holding onto Philip, and panted, his cheeks rather pink from the exercise. “Sorry.” he said. “Just…had to…get away…”

 Philip raised an eyebrow, looking down at him with some amusement. Clearly, Daniel had just snuck out on the sly, most probably without the knowledge of the Admiral. But, Philip had to admit, the way Daniel had been willing to climb out of a window to see him was _extremely_ attractive. If it was even possible for him to be more attractive…

 “You alright?” he asked, trying not to laugh as Daniel huffed.

 “Oh-yes.” Daniel straightened up, clearly trying to look as if he did this sort of thing every day. “I hate running, don’t you? Oh-I’m sorry!” He gave a squeak of shock, realising that he was still holding onto Philip’s hand. “Terribly sorry! This is a long way from proper. I hope you don’t think I’m-“

 “I like improper,” said Philip, squeezing Daniel’s gloved hand comfortingly in his bare one. As he looked at him, all flushed and flustered, he felt a strange tugging sensation in his chest. His voice was very soft. “I’m not complaining.”

 Daniel looked down at their clasped hands for a moment. Slowly, some of the tension seemed to drain from his face. It relaxed into a shy smile, dimples appearing on his cheeks that Philip had not ever noticed before. As if he could get any cuter…once more, Philip had to pinch himself to ensure that he was not dreaming.

 “So-“ he began-before Daniel interrupted him with a gasp, looking all around the darkened street as if he had never seen one before.

 “Look! Is that a real _pub_?” He gazed in wonder at the rough, run-down Red Lion-before turning around so sharply that Philip almost lost his balance. “And all those little _shops_! And-and-oh my goodness, look at the _sky_!” He looked up into the heavens, which were an incredible navy blue with hardly a cloud, strewn with little bursts of light. “All those _stars_! Right above us!”

 Philip was a little confused by this behaviour. Daniel was acting as if he had never seen this street before. How could he not have, when he only lived around the corner? Then again-perhaps this was not the sort of place the upper class frequented. Of course, it was unlikely that Daniel had ever set foot inside a pub as rough as the Red Lion. He probably had other people to do his shopping for him. And Philip was prepared to bet that he had never been out at night alone before either-he certainly struck him as being very sheltered…

 “Don’t these cobbles feel strange to walk on?” Daniel was saying, jumping up and down on the pavement. “They’re so hard and uneven, and-and oh, I can’t believe how fresh the air is!” He drank in deep breaths, savouring it. “It’s so cold and crisp…it’s absolutely delicious!”

 Once more, Philip frowned slightly, his head tilted suspiciously to one side. But, for Daniel, he decided to take this performance as endearing rather than bizarre. “Well, I was thinking we could go down to the beach-we don’t have to, of course, you’re probably sick of it, living where you do, but-“

 “Oh no!” said Daniel, turning back to him and beaming. “Let’s _definitely_ go to the beach!”

 “Alright.” said Philip, pleased. “Lead the way, then.”

 He waited for Daniel to start walking in the direction of the sea shore…but he remained still. “I…” he began, looking sheepish. “I…don’t actually know the way!”

 Philip blinked in amazement. Was this what it was like to be wealthy? Not needing to know where things were in the world, because there was always someone else to take you there…? Philip shook his head slightly. This ignorance probably wasn’t a reflection on Daniel-he couldn’t help being rich any more than Philip could help being poor.

 “Luckily, I do.” he said lightly, trying not to make him feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, Daniel was quite happy to follow along, still holding his hand tightly. He looked around quite a bit as they walked, occasionally stopping to stare at something, but otherwise, he behaved relatively normally.

 “So how long have you worked at the bank?”

 “Almost a year,” said Philip, trying not to show how proud he was. He wondered whether he should mention that he recently been promoted (if only after the death of a colleague) but decided against it, for fear of appearing arrogant. “I was very lucky to get in there, to be honest.” he added instead.

 “Really?” Daniel asked, interested.

 “Yeah.” Philip nodded. “My father is a docker, you see. We never had much of anything, and I certainly never went to school-I had to earn too, to support us. Used to go to the ships with Dad, right from when I could walk. But I was very lucky. We lived next-door to this old schoolmaster. He was a right old stick, but he taught me an hour a day through my teens, when I came home for the night. I learned to read and write, and deal with figures-then, when I was eighteen, he got me my first proper position in a counting house. I was there for six years, but I could tell it wasn’t going anywhere. So I applied to the bank, trying to go up in the world a bit.” He couldn’t help but smile. “And here I am.”

 “ _Oh…”_ Daniel looked shocked by this tale-perhaps he had never heard one like it-but nonetheless, he was very impressed. “Oh goodness…that’s such a lot of hard work. You must be ever so clever…”

 “I do alright, I suppose.” said Philip modestly, though he was very pleased. “I’m going to work my way up, I am. Perhaps one day I’ll be fit to be seen with the likes of you!”

 “Why wouldn’t you be?” Daniel asked innocently. “All that work, all that clawing your way…I’ve never had to do very much of anything at all! I should say it is me who ought to aspire to be like you!”

 Philip paused for a moment, considering this peculiar notion-before he chuckled. “Wouldn’t mind telling the Admiral that, would you?” Then-he caught himself. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean any disrespect-”

 “You’ve given none,” Daniel sighed a little. “My father can be a little…careless…when he speaks to our staff. And apparently the bank’s too…and _anyone_ ’s, for that matter.”

  _Understatement of the century_ , Philip thought. But it was encouraging that Daniel plainly thought the Admiral’s way of speaking to those he considered inferiors was wrong. It only made him like him more. And more.

 “So how come you wound up living with the Admiral? I don’t suppose anyone would choose it.”

 Daniel gave a guilty little giggle at Philip’s mischief-but he quickly looked rather grave. “Oh, my mother died when I was born. My real father served under Father in the navy. They were great friends, you see. When my real father was killed in action, Father retired and became my guardian. That’s when he turned to the spice trade.”

 “Ah…” Philip felt an enormous wave of pity, and his affection for him growing even more so. “How terrible for you…”

 “Well…I never really knew them to miss them, I suppose. And besides-I always had Father…” Daniel said this lightly enough-but something in his expression told Philip that life with the Admiral wasn’t quite as it seemed…but he decided it was better not to pry too much in these crucial early stages.

 On they went, through the night-time streets of the town-and, on the way, they talked. The more Philip spoke to him, the more charmed he was with his companion. Daniel seemed to have read every book in the world. He was kind, he was witty, he was intelligent and creative-and Philip especially loved the way he lit up when he talked about his kitten.

 “She’s called Sooty, and she’s the best thing in my life!”

 Around a quarter of an hour later, they reached the little stony beach, just beside the great harbour full of docked ships. There were fishing boats, trading ships (most of which belonged to the Admiral), and assorted others, all tied with rope to the jetty and ready to sail out in the morning. Philip could see the shapes of men loading and unloading the ships of their cargo, and wondered vaguely if his father was up there somewhere. Still, the little beach was perfectly hidden by the pier. They would have total privacy…

 It was freezing cold by the waterside, the sea wind knifing at their cheeks. Philip pulled his coat a little tighter around himself, shoving his free hand into his pocket. The other was being kept warm by Daniel’s fancy glove. At least, bundled up as he was, he would be a little bit more comfortable than Philip was.

 “Oh, glory!” Daniel exclaimed, as they climbed down the little wooden flight of stairs and down onto the sand. “It’s just like I imagined! _Better_!” With that, he was off, pulling Philip excitedly down to the very edge of the dark water, pebbles crunching beneath their shoes. The moon reflected beautifully on the gentle rolling waves, making the whole ocean look as if it was sparkling. Above their heads, the cloudless sky was absolutely strewn with stars. It was a perfect night…

 “Steady on!” Philip chuckled as Daniel dragged him enthusiastically about. “Anyone would think you’d never seen the sea before!”

 “Not this close!” Daniel said, watching the waves fervently as they crept closer, then pulled away from them.

 “ _What_?” Philip was astounded. “You’ve lived half a mile from the sea all your life, and you’ve never been this close?”

 “No,” said Daniel, as if this were perfectly normal. He bent down to look at some shells stuck in the wet sand. “Father is…very protective.”

 “… _Protective_?” The cogs in Philip’s brain had begun, suspiciously, to whirr.

 “I’m not allowed out…much.” Daniel added quickly. “He likes to keep me safe, you see. The world outside is wicked and cruel, and he wants to protect me from it.”

 “Oh,” Philip gave a cough, quite surprised to hear this extraordinary statement said so matter-of-factly. The way he said the words-it was as if he was parroting something he had been taught from birth…“Well. That’s…unusual…”

 “But you’re not wicked _or_ cruel,” said Daniel, smiling up at him with very soft eyes. “You’re the opposite. I like you ever such a lot, Philip!”

 At this outburst, Philip quite forgot to be apprehensive. It was ingenuous, anything but subtle, and he was slightly taken aback by it-but still, he felt as if warm honey had been poured over his heart. There was something so remarkable about Daniel…For a second, he was rendered utterly speechless. Then-he found his tongue. “Thank you. I like you a lot too.”

 Daniel’s smile widened, his dimples becoming more pronounced than ever, before he turned back to the shells.

 “Hey-I suppose you’ve never skipped rocks, then!”

 “No?” Daniel looked confused. “What’s that?”

 “Like this!” Philip bent down, searched until he found a flat, likely-looking stone, and threw it hard across the water. It skipped twice, then disappeared beneath the waves.

 “ _Wow_!” Daniel had leapt to his feet, amazed by what he had seen. “How did you do that?” 

 “Nah, that was rubbish,” said Philip, searching for another stone. “I can usually get four skips. Here, you try.”

 Daniel took the rock in his hand, as if sure this couldn’t work. He threw the rock valiantly enough-but it plopped unceremoniously straight into the water. Philip laughed good-naturedly at the attempt-and, luckily, Daniel chuckled at himself too.

 “Try like this-“ Philip took Daniel by the shoulders, showing him how to swing his arm and flick his wrist. “Get down quite low-you want to be about level with the horizon. Try now.”

 Daniel tried again, concentrating this time-but, once again, the rock vanished without a single skip.

 “Ah, I’m rubbish!” he said, giggling again.

 “No you’re not,” said Philip loyally. “Well-you are a bit at this.” He ducked down as Daniel laughed, retrieved another rock, and threw it hard. It skipped three times.

 “You’re so good.”

 “I’ve just had more practice,” said Philip humbly. “You’ll get there in the end…”

 Daniel turned to him. “Show me again.” he asked, his voice rather soft.

 Once more, Philip took him gently by the shoulders, correcting his posture and angle. Still, when Daniel threw the rock, it disappeared instantly. Once more, he scoffed at his failure-but Philip was finding it very difficult to remove his hands from Daniel’s shoulders.

 “Show me again.” Daniel’s voice was so soft that he could barely hear it over the wind. It seemed to be getting colder by the moment, as the sea lapped gently near their ankles. Then, unexpectedly-Daniel reached up, and covered Philip’s hand with his own.

 Philip stopped. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest so loudly he was amazed that Daniel couldn’t hear it. Daniel’s face was so close to his…he was a breath away…With every fibre of his being, Philip wanted nothing more than to simply lean in and kiss him…but he stopped himself. No. He didn’t want to rush this. Daniel was so naïve-he couldn’t risk the trust he had already built with him…even though there was something in the way that Daniel looked, some angle of his head, that told him that he wanted very much to kiss him too…but no. He had to wait. He had to take this slowly.

 Involuntarily-Daniel shivered.

 “Oh, are you cold?” Philip was grateful for a reason to speak. “Look, let’s go and get warm. There’s a blanket in my bag you can have.”

 “Oh…” Daniel seemed to have been somewhere very far away inside his mind. With some abruptness, he brought himself back to earth. “Yes, yes.”

 He was very happy to let Philip lead him up the beach, down behind the wooden stairs they had come down from, where the wind was broken by the shelter and was not quite so biting. There was a faint smell of seaweed there, but it was a small price to pay to be slightly warmer. As they both sat down, their backs against the wood, Philip rummaged in his bag for the blanket he had brought along for this very eventuality. It was really just an old rug, but it would be warm enough.

 “Here.” he said, draping it over Daniel’s shoulders. It smelled faintly dusty, but not unpleasantly so.

 “Thank you, but…” Very carefully, Daniel took the other half of the blanket and pulled Philip beneath it too. Of this, he was very grateful-but more so was he grateful for how close the shared blanket brought them. Shoulder to shoulder. Knee to knee.

 “Thank you.” he said, smiling at him.

 “Of course…Oh goodness, look at your hands!” Daniel exclaimed, noticing how red raw Philip’s hands had become in the cold. “Here.” He took both of them and began gently to rub them between his own. Daniel’s gloves were as soft as rabbits, and very warm-the sort of gloves Philip could never have dreamed of affording. Still, he barely thought on this as he looked as Daniel. “Better?” Daniel was asking.

 “Wonderful.” said Philip. He gave a strange sort of laugh. “Do you know what? It might be freezing, and you might be terrible at skipping rocks, but I think this might be the best evening I’ve spent in a long, long time…”

 “I think this is the best evening I’ve _ever_ spent,” said Daniel plainly. Then-he rested his head on Philip’s shoulder. The warm weight of it, the spring of his curls tickling Philip’s neck…without so much as his instruction, he leaned back into Daniel, his heart singing as he did. This felt right. This felt perfect.

 In this manner, they talked and talked. Time seemed to pass as quickly as water through their fingers as they spoke for hours of everything and nothing. They laughed a lot-and, sometimes, for minutes at a time, they sat in perfect comfortable silence, listening to the whistle of the wind and the turning of the tide.. To sit and talk with Daniel, and to do only that, was simply divine. To Philip, at least, it felt as though he had known him for many years, perhaps all his life. Though he was so new in his life…he felt old, somehow, too. Like a childhood friend who had come back to him, and all that ancient affection came back too. More and more so…he felt, quite possibly, that he was beginning to fall in love with him.

 However, increasingly-the blanket seemed less and less cosy. As the hours ticked by, it was beginning to get cold-properly cold. Philip knew that it was getting late-even the dockers on the quay had long since gone home. The wind grew ever more harsh, the sky ever darker until it was an inky black above them.

 “I should get you home.” he said, finally, after leaving it as long as he possibly could.

 “Oh no!” said Daniel, looking dismayed-though he was pale with the cold.

 “Sorry. I don’t want to go either. But we’ll both catch our deaths.”

 Daniel sighed sadly-but he held on to Philip’s hands. “Five more minutes, please.”

 How could Philip refuse him anything? One look at those big, dark eyes, and he felt he would have done whatever in the world Daniel asked of him.

 “Alright, then. But only five.”

 Daniel smiled, cuddling closer to him. “I do like you ever so much, Philip. Sitting here with you…Sometimes, when I…sit…with Father, all I want to do is get away from him…but with you, I feel like I never want to sit with anyone else!” He looked up at him, his eyes filled with sincerity. “You couldn’t feel more different from him.”

 Philip was a little confused by this. “Er…I’m guessing that’s a good thing?”

 “It’s the best thing.” He snuggled even closer, still looking up at him with those kitten-like eyes. “It’s the best thing in the world…”  

 Philip was very still. It was as if every bone in his body had frozen. Perhaps it was the cold. But all he could do was look back into those eyes…almost as if he was hypnotised. He could not look away…

 The next moment-he felt Daniel’s lips on his.

 It was as if a small explosion had taken place in his chest. Though it was the middle of the night, he swore the whole planet had just been plunged into the most glorious sunlight. Every feeling of coldness in his body evaporated instantly as Daniel kissed him…as he closed his eyes, it was spring, or a long summer night, and everything was right in the world…

 It had been a small, chaste kiss, lasting no more than a second or so. But to Philip, the tide could have washed them both away, and he hardly would have noticed. When it broke-he was more startled than he had ever felt in his life, as if he had just woken from the longest sleep. But it was truly wonderful…

 Once more, Daniel had rendered him utterly speechless.

 “…Was that alright?” Daniel asked, suddenly looking scared.

 Philip could only shake his head in amazement. Then-he gave a short, uncertain laugh-and expression of pure joy. Finally, he found Daniel’s hands once again, and held on tightly.

 “Promise you’ll see me again.” he asked, his voice sounding as if it did not even belong to him. 

 “Yes! Of course!” Daniel assured him, beaming. “Soon! Very soon! As soon as you can!”

 “Good. I don’t want to say goodbye to you, Daniel…” He took a deep breath-before leaning forward and cradling Daniel’s face in his hands. “Oh, just come here!” He kissed him again, closing his eyes and letting warmth wash over him in glorious waves of sheer bliss…Philip had thought he had known what it was to kiss. This…this was something else altogether. All he knew was that this, the remarkable person in his arms, was the person he had always been supposed to find. No matter whether it was class, or walls, or windows that separated them. This was the person he was supposed to kiss…

 When the kiss broke, Philip had to force himself to speak.

 “Right. I have got to take you home now, or I’ll stay here with you until dawn!”

* * *

 Cautiously, Daniel climbed back through the parlour window, locking it behind him with trembling hands. He listened hard-but the Great House was as silent as the grave. His head felt as if it was as full of stars as the sky outside. How was it that so much could change in just a few hours? Seeing the town, seeing the sea, seeing _Philip_ …he felt as if he were a completely different person.

 Philip was the most astonishing person in the world. He was just like all the men in Daniel’s books, only he was better-he wasn’t cruel like Heathcliff, he wasn’t aloof like Darcy, he wasn’t beastly like Rochester…he was warm, and real, and more magical than any of them could have dreamed of.

 And the _kisses_ …Daniel’s heart skipped even to recall them. As he made his way quietly through the house, he felt that his feet barely touched the floor. He did not want to speak of love yet, for it was not sensible to do so, but he felt that he had already fallen for him. All he knew was that he _had_ to see Philip again...

 “Oh, Sooty, I have so much to tell you!” Daniel exclaimed as he slipped through his bedroom door. “I-“

 “I'm sure I will be _fascinated_ to hear.”

 Daniel jumped out of his skin. Dread growing in his stomach like some terrible poisonous plant, he turned slowly in the direction of his bed.

 The covers had been ripped back to reveal the pile of pillows and cushions masquerading as a sleeping Daniel.

 And sitting on the foot of the bed, still dressed in his martial jacket, and holding a candle in his hand…was the Admiral.


	5. Bars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so so much for reading, and for all your comments and kudos! I can't tell you how much I appreciate you all. 
> 
> More tomorrow, hope you enjoy! xxx

 The Admiral could not remember a time when he had been truly angry with Daniel. He had scolded him on occasion as a child, of course, when he had misbehaved, but no case particularly stood out. Daniel had always been a sweet little boy. Never, in his whole life, had Daniel made him furious.

 Until tonight.

 The Admiral, as he did some nights before he retired to bed, had made his way along the third floor corridor to Daniel’s bedroom. Every time, he would peer through the hole in the door, and simply watch Daniel sleeping for a while. He never spent long-just a few minutes, every now and again. He liked to watch him breathing…just the rise and fall of his body under the covers…it was sheer, perfect tantalisation for him…the torment was delicious…

 So, understandably, the Admiral had been more than a little concerned when, upon looking inside that night, Daniel did not appear to be breathing.

 He had opened the door, crept over to the bed, and laid his hand on what he thought was Daniel’s head-but his fingers had found only soft material. A short investigation later had revealed the truth. There were no two ways around it. Daniel was gone.

 He had searched the house in a frenzy, but he had known he was hunting in vain before he started. There was only one reason why Daniel would have laid such a subterfuge. But, though he knew, he hadn’t _wanted_ to believe it. Not _his_ Daniel. _His_ Daniel would never do such a thing to him. Never.

 But it was true.

 By the time he had finished searching, sitting dejected and half out of his mind on the end of Daniel’s bed, he had been ready to go down to the police station and report Daniel missing. But then, he had heard the window opening downstairs, and Daniel’s footsteps as he attempted to sneak, undetected, back into the house. _Well_. The Admiral was not certainly not going to allow that. And so, he had remained where he was, and waited for Daniel to appear.

 Here he was. Fully dressed in coat, hat, and gloves. Sand on his shoes. And, most tellingly of all, his cheeks were flushed with excitement. The tell-tale thrill of a young man in love…

 The Admiral began to fear the very worst.

 “ _What the HELL do you think you are playing at_?”

 He yelled so loudly that Daniel backed right into the door behind him, his face growing paler by the second. That cat of Daniel’s, having been woken by the commotion, yowled and went to hide under the bed, afraid.

 “ _How DARE you! How dare you betray me!”_

 Daniel looked terrified out of his wits. His eyes were very wide, and shone with frightened tears. Somehow, this only made the Admiral angrier.

 “ _Where have you been? Who with?”_

 For a moment, Daniel was speechless with fear. Then-very quietly, in a voice an octave higher than usual, he began to speak. “Oh…I…I just…went for a walk…”

 “ _Did you now_?” the Admiral stormed. “ _At ten o’clock at night? Don’t lie to me, Daniel_! _You’ve been out making a fool of me_!”

 “No, it’s true!” Daniel insisted, still wide-eyed and scared. “I _swear._ I-I so wanted to go down to the sea shore-and-and I knew you’d never let me-so-I just took myself off. I’m-I’m so sorry, Father, really and truly I am.”

 The Admiral opened his mouth-but stopped in the mid-formation of his words. He looked down at Daniel’s shoes again…sure enough, there was the sand he had noticed before. Trying to quell the first fits of rage, he looked deeply into Daniel’s eyes, large, dark, and staring directly back into his…Perhaps there was a chance that his ward was telling the truth.

 Daniel would never have guts enough to run away with some gentleman. The thought of it was laughable, really. Besides, who on Earth did he know? The Admiral had kept Daniel isolated from all but him for a reason, after all...

 Still. Daniel had gone out alone. At night. And that-that was unforgivable.

 “Do you have any idea of the seriousness of what you have done?” the Admiral demanded, his voice slightly more level, but still furious. “All by yourself, out in the world? _Anything_ could have happened to you! You could have been murdered, or kidnapped, or worse-oh _God_ , Daniel, don’t make me think about it!” He buried his face in his hands as he thought of all the terrible things that might have befallen his Daniel…this, once more, ignited fire inside him.

 “I’m so sorry, Father.” Daniel repeated, blinking hard. “I didn’t ever want to worry you-”

 “ _Worry_ me?” The Admiral gave a cold, harsh laugh. “ _Worry_ me? I _worry_ about my trading ships! I _worry_ about money! I go _out of my mind_ when it comes to you!” Suddenly, he swept across the room and seized Daniel by his shoulders, shaking him hard. “Do you have _any idea_ how much you mean to me?” he shouted into his face. “Do you have any idea how much I love you? _No_! Because then, you never would have gone!”

 “I’m sorry!” Daniel cried out, tears beginning to spill down his cheeks.

 “Yes, you might well weep!” the Admiral bellowed. “You are never, never to leave this house again! Do you understand me?”

 Daniel nodded shakily, staring down at the floor. Tears splashed onto the carpet.

 But the Admiral was not satisfied. After this, how could he possibly trust him? No…until Daniel was married to him, how could he ever have confidence that he wouldn’t run away again? How could he be certain he was safe? 

 There was only one thing for it.

 The Admiral dug his fingers into Daniel’s shoulders. “I do not wish to do this, Daniel but you have forced me into it…” He took a deep breath. “Tomorrow is Friday, and I shall accordingly be leaving for London. Until I return on Monday night-I am going to lock you inside this room. Do I make myself clear?”

 Daniel looked up, in horrified disbelief. “ _What_?”

 “I think you heard me, Daniel!”

 “But-but- _no_!”

 “You will never defy me again!” The Admiral forced Daniel across the room and sat him firmly down on his bed. “You’ll stay in this room all weekend, until I am back on Monday night. Then-I shall be able to keep a proper watch on you.”

 “ _Father_ - _please_!”

 “Don’t you contradict me!” the Admiral roared. Then-he took several keep breaths, trying to calm himself down. “You have left me no choice. You are a danger to yourself. I have to keep you safe. So here you will stay.”

 The Admiral looked down into Daniel's face, chalk white and streaked with tears. Pity stirred in his stomach-but he quelled it instantly. Instead, he bent over, and kissed Daniel's cheek hard.

 “This is for your own good. I love you so very, very much, daffodil. Sweet dreams." 

 Then, without looking back-he stormed out of the room, slammed the door behind him, and turned the key. 

* * *

 The Admiral was as good as his word. Daniel was locked in his bedroom twenty four-seven. Three times a day, a maid would knock on the door with a tray of food. Otherwise, that was the extent of his human contact. He was bored, he was wronged, he was lonely, and he had only Sooty for company.

 Daniel found himself dividing his time between reading, though even this had lost most of its pleasure, playing half-heartedly with Sooty, and gazing sadly out of the window, watching the world go by. Now he had tasted the smallest morsel of freedom, he was more hungry for it than ever, and this confinement was maddening. Sometimes, in the dark of the night, with all his candles spent, he felt as if he was truly going insane. Whenever this happened, he would creep over to the window, sit on the sill, and gaze up at the stars through the glass…it wasn’t the same as standing under them, but it was a small comfort. Daniel had to savour the very smallest of them now.

 Most of all, he thought of Philip. Every time he did so, he felt like crying. He would close his eyes, and try to recall Philip’s face in every single small detail, the sound of his voice and his laughter, the feel of his hand in his, his lips on his…but it grieved him so to think of him, being somewhere out in the world and yet so out of reach, that it was almost unbearable.

 Friday and Saturday passed by without event. Mostly, he lay in bed reading, with Sooty curled up beside him, snoozing with the exhaustion of being a kitten. Whenever she woke, she would dart wildly around the room, running and jumping and trying to pounce on Daniel’s socks, ferociously fighting any piece of string he dangled in front of her and scratching up his bedposts. Daniel felt horribly guilty, with her being so cooped up with him in this room. However, whenever one of the maids would open the door to feed them both, she never darted out, but stayed resolutely by Daniel’s side. For this, he loved her more than ever.

 Sunday dawned grey and cloudy. When Daniel awoke, he forgot altogether that it was his birthday. It was only after he’d carefully counted up the days over his breakfast that he remembered what day it was. He was twenty-one years old. And locked in his bedroom, alone.

 At that, he felt so pathetic that he had laid down and buried his head in his pillows, expecting to cry-but no tears came. He simply lay, face down, dry-eyed and hopeless. At this, Sooty was quite concerned, sniffing him all over and meowing fit to burst, clearly thinking him dead. Worriedly, she began to knead his arms, quite painfully, with her claws.

 “Ah, Sooty…” Daniel groaned, finally turning over and scratching her head. “What would I do without you, hey?”

 Comforted, she began to purr, rubbing her fuzzy little head into the palm of his hand. Daniel sighed hard, sat up, and pulled her onto his lap, stroking her and trying desperately to life his mood. Even though he had not seen Philip since that magical night on the beach, that didn’t mean that he would never see him again. Somehow, he had to see him. He would have to find a way.

 Still, Daniel was so miserable, he found that he had no appetite whatsoever-a great rarity for him. His lunch tray was collected almost untouched, and, when evening finally drew in and he heard the key turning in his lock once more, he found that he could not face supper either.

 As usual, the maid set the tray quickly on the cabinet beside the door, then locked the door behind her in record time so that Daniel had no chance of escaping. He assumed that the Admiral must have instructed this-though Daniel felt so low he doubted he would have been able to summon the energy to run for it. However, when he ambled over to look at the tray, trying to force himself to eat something-he was met with a glorious surprise. A pretty purple flower lay on the tray beside the plate, on which sat a plate stacked high with pancakes-his favourite treat dinner as a child. On the top of the stack, piped neatly in thin strawberry jam, was the phrase “Happy Birthday”.

 Daniel was so moved by this kind gesture from the staff that he almost truly burst into tears. How incredibly sweet of them to do something so thoughtful. He thought about the rude, disrespectful manner in which the Admiral always treated them, and felt more awful about it than ever. Why didn’t he ever stand up to his father?

 Without any idea if anyone could hear him, Daniel leaned against the door and called through the wood: “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

 Nearly smiling, he picked up the tray, and carried it over to the window-seat, drinking in the sweet, warm, sugary smell. Somehow, Daniel found it in him to take a few bites. Then, a few more. Before he knew it, his stomach woke up and he finished the whole plate. It was astounding what difference a little love and care could make. Feeling marginally better, Daniel set the tray back on the cabinet, and went to sit beside Sooty, who was busy gobbling up her own dinner-leftover chicken from the kitchens mixed up with gravy. A feast fit for a queen.

 “Wasn’t that a lovely thing, cat?” He stroked her behind the ears a couple of times. “I almost feel that there is still good in the world…”

 After a moment, he got back to his feet, and headed back over to the window-seat, leaning back on the little pile of soft cushions he kept there. It was a perfect place for reading, though he tended to favour his bed as the weather grew colder. He looked down at the street below, where the last dregs of workers were returning to their homes for the night. It was already very dark, and, to Daniel’s exasperation, it began to rain.

 “Oh dear.” he said, either to Sooty or to himself, as slug trails began to form on his window. “What a wonderful birthday this is…”

 Then-all of a sudden-something caught his eye.

 Far below, on the street-someone had begun to wave.

 Daniel pressed himself against the glass, looking down-and then, his heart leaping in his chest-he saw a pale young man, jet-black hair sticking to his skull, looking up at him from the pavement. It was Philip.

 Hardly daring to believe it, Daniel waved frantically back. Oh God…it was so wondrous to see him again! But a dark cloud hovered over Daniel’s heart. How could he get down to him?

 For one wild moment, Daniel considered climbing out of the window, down three storeys, and into Philip’s arms. But that was madness. He’d fall to his death. Oh God, why did the Admiral have to lock him in? It suddenly seemed the cruellest, wickedest thing in the world…

 Philip was mouthing something to him. Daniel squinted through the rain, and just about made out: “ _Come down_!”

 “ _I can’t_!” Daniel mouthed back, shaking his head.

 Philip frowned, baffled, sweeping his wet hair from his face. The wind had begun to blow so hard that Daniel could hear it whistling through the window. “ _Why_?”  

 “ _I’m locked in here!”_ Daniel mouthed desperately.

 “ _What_?” Philip still did not understand.

 “ _I’m locked in_!” Daniel repeated, tears of hopelessness beginning to prickle behind his eyes.

 After a second-Philip comprehended. He looked absolutely flabbergasted for a few seconds, gaping up at Daniel in disbelief. Then-his eyes flashed with anger. Finally-his whole face set into a mask of determination.

 “ _I’ll come up_.”

  “ _What_?” Daniel mouthed back, shocked. He had made out what Philip was saying-but it was so crazy that he could not accept it as true.

 “ _I’ll come up_!” Philip mouthed again. He held up a hand to Daniel, clearly signalling for him to stay where he was. “ _Hold on!”_

 Then, faster than Daniel had ever seen anyone move in his life-Philip sprinted away.


	6. Ladder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Thank you so so much for reading <3 I am really enjoying weaving this story, and it means so much that you guys are on this journey with me! 
> 
> Quick apology-this is only half the chapter I'd planned on posting, but I have been extremely busy today! Other half tomorrow <3 I really hope you enjoy! xxx

 Philip did not stop running until he reached the docks. The rain was growing worse by the second, soaking the boards of the jetty. The sea was rough, waves throwing themselves against the harbour as if in protest, white-tipped and furious. A large cargo ship had just missed the worst of the bad weather, probably much to its relief, and was swaying precariously on the water, tied up to the shore with thick grey rope. Half a dozen men were busy hauling wooden crates from its bowels, filled with exotic spices from the other side of the world.

 “ _Dad_!” Philip called out, skidding to a halt on the edge of the quay.

 A second of silence-then, a tall, broad man, wearing nothing but a white shirt and braces, which were sticking fast to his skin from the wet, looked around. He was every bit as pale as his son, but his hair was bright red, and his lined face was covered in freckles. “Alright, lad?” he hollered back in his thick Northern accent, looking surprised but pleased to see Philip. He threw the box of spices in his arms on top of the cargo cart, and approached his son, his arms wide open in welcome. “What the fuck are you doing down here? I thought you'd gone and bettered yourself from the likes of us!”

 “Dad, I need your help,” said Philip, quickly embracing his father, but very aware that time was of the essence. “I need to use one of your ladders!”

 “Well, sure,” said his father. “But why? You’d think they could afford their own at that fancy-pants bank of yours-”

 “It’s not for work,” said Philip, trying to make it clear that he was in a hurry. “Please, Dad, I need to be quick.”

 “Oh?” said his father, mildly interested as he led Philip to the stores. “Cat stuck up a tree?”

“Something like that...” said Philip vaguely. He kept thinking of Daniel, stuck up in his window like a caged bird, looking so utterly miserable and wretched…it had all but broken his heart. Still, surges of anger rippled through his entire body. Of course, he had had a hunch from the beginning that something was seriously wrong with the Admiral’s treatment of Daniel. He certainly seemed overly protective, at the very least. But to physically lock Daniel away in his room…how could he abuse his power in such a terrible way? Perhaps he had discovered Daniel’s escape, the night Philip had taken him to the beach…Philip felt a horrible guilty lunge in his stomach. Was this his fault?

 “Here we go, then,” Philip’s father had led him into the large covered store in which equipment was kept. It was a long way from organised, and all within seemed to be covered with a clear inch of dust. He weaved through pulleys, ropes, tools, and boxes, until he located an ordinary twelve-foot ladder in a corner. It was made of damp wood, and it looked disconcertingly splintered. “That any good to you?”

 “Not long enough.” said Philip, shaking his head. “I need something that will get to a third floor window.”

 Philip’s father narrowed his eyes at his son, the corner of his mouth twitching up. “What’re you up to, peering through windows like some sort of Tom?” He gave a throaty chuckle. “You pervert.”

 “I’m not-It’s not like that!” Philip protested, feeling his cheeks beginning to flush. “I just need to-oh, never _mind_! Do you have a ladder I can use?”

 “Alright, keep your hair on.” Still chortling at his own joke, Philip’s father rummaged his way right to the back of the store. “Here we go! Twice as nice!” With some difficulty, he carried a much longer ladder through from where it had been leaning on the back wall. It was made of the same rickety-looking wood, but Philip would have to bear it “Alright?”

 “Perfect.” said Philip, relieving his father of the ladder. It was very heavy. He wasn’t looking forward to carrying it all the way to the Great House, but he would persevere for Daniel’s sake. Already feeling splinters poking at the palms of his hands, he carried the ladder horizontally out into the rain. “I’ll bring it back!”

 “You better.” said his father, clapping him once on the shoulder. “Or I’ll be for it. Right, well, you’d best be getting on with your peeking. Enjoy yourself, you filthy little shit!”

 “Thanks, Dad.” said Philip through gritted teeth, before setting off as fast as he could towards the town. He hoped that he would not look too conspicuous, carrying this enormous ladder through the town on a Sunday night. But he tried not to think too much on it as he lugged the ladder towards the Great House, focusing only on poor Daniel.

 It took a little over ten minutes, half-jogging, wind and rain belting his face, and weighed down, to reach the Admiral’s house. Sure enough, sitting up at the window and looking as forlorn as the first time he had set eyes on him, there was Daniel. As he looked down, and spotted Philip below with the ladder, he visibly gasped.

 “ _Open the window_!” Philip mouthed up at him, miming doing so.

 After a moment’s hesitation, Daniel nodded, before fumbling with the handle and throwing the window wide open. He took a step back, looking extremely nervous, and watching Philip like a hawk.

 Taking a deep breath, Philip struggled to struggle the ladder against the bricks of the house, testing it to ensure it was secure He was not afraid of heights-but the thought of climbing up this ladder in the howling wind and rain was a less than attractive prospect. Still-it couldn’t be anywhere near as terrible as Daniel being trapped in his own home. And so, summoning all his courage-Philip put his foot on the bottom rug of the ladder.

 The first few feet were easy. Philip looked determinedly straight on, rather than up or down, so that he would not get vertigo. But, the higher Philip climbed, the more pronounced the wind seemed to become, the harder the rain seemed to fall upon his face. He knew logically that the ladder was very unlikely to collapse-but nonetheless, he could not help but visualise himself falling and falling…

 Just as his arms began to ache from climbing-he found himself mere feet away from Daniel’s window. Thinking of nothing but climbing through the window and falling into Daniel’s arms, he spurred himself on, hands slipping on the wet rungs, until, finally, like a man summiting a mountain, he reached the top of the ladder.

 Before he could overthink it, he let go of the top rung, and grasped Daniel’s windowpane with both hands. It was freezing cold and wet from the rain, but he held on fast, as the wind seemed to blow right through him. Then, the moment the gust passed-he launched himself up and through the window, tumbling unceremoniously across Daniel’s window seat and falling straight onto the floor with a great _crash_.

 As he lay on the floor, staring unfocusedly up at the curtains above him, soaked through and panting hard-he realised, with a terrific warm feeling coursing through his veins… _he had done it_.

 “Oh Philip, are you alright?” Daniel knelt down beside him, his sweet face flooded with concern-but in his eyes, there was nothing but sheer amazement and adoration. “I can’t believe you just did that!”

 Philip reached up with one hand, and, smiling, pressed it against Daniel’s cheek. “I’m delighted I could _drop_ in!”

 Daniel paused for a moment, looking down at Philip as if he had gone mad-then, very slowly, he began to giggle. “Oh, that was _terrible_!” But he covered Philip’s hand with his own, now beaming. “I just can’t believe you climbed all the way up the Great House for me! It’s _insane_ -and completely wonderful!”

 “Of course I did,” said Philip, sitting up and throwing his arms around him. “I was never going to leave you up here. Oh God, Daniel, what _happened_? How could the Admiral do this to you?” He held on tighter. “Why did he lock you in here?”

 Daniel paused. He took a deep breath, leaning into Philip’s shoulder. Then-he spoke. “Father…doesn’t allow me…to leave the house. At _all_.”

 It was as if Philip had been punched in the face. He stared in incredulity at Daniel, subconsciously shaking his head as the reality of what Daniel was saying hit him. Then-his face broke into sheer disgust. “Oh my God…that’s _sick_.”

 Daniel gulped, hunching his shoulders so that he appeared smaller and more frightened than ever. “I…I suppose I just never knew any different! But-but now, I am desperate for my freedom. A world with you in it cannot be as cruel and wicked as Father always said. You are twice as good as all the badness in the world could possibly be…” He took Philip’s hand, squeezing it and looking up at him with large, damp eyes. “But as soon as Father realised I had escaped…he was more angry than I had ever seen him in my life. He’s had to go to London this weekend, and so he’s locked me in this room until he returns…” He blinked hard. “He doesn’t think he can trust me any longer…”

 Philip was still absolutely shell-shocked by Daniel’s revelations. “But…but how can…You spent your whole life shut away in this house? How? How is that even possible? Oh Daniel, why don’t you just run away?”

 Daniel cast his eyes down. “Where would I go? I have no family, no friends, no one in the world apart from Father…”

 Philip paused-then, he took both of Daniel’s hands firmly in his own. It was crazy even to think of what he was about to propose-then again, he had just scaled the side of the Great House and climbed in through a third storey window. Perhaps now was the time for crazy. “That’s not true. You have me.”

 Daniel looked up, wide-eyed with astonishment. “What are you saying?”

 “Come with me,” said Philip wildly. “Climb down that ladder right now. Escape. You can stay with me. I don’t have much, but all I have is yours. Let me give you your freedom, Daniel. Run away with me.”

 “ _Oh_...” Daniel was completely overwhelmed. He looked absolutely terrified…and yet, in his eyes, Philip could see that he was tempted. His heart began to hammer inside his chest. “Oh, Philip… _thank you…_ But…but…how could I? I adore you…but it is much too quick. Besides, how could I leave Father? He has looked after me all these years, he has done everything for me. I am all he has…”

 Philip took a deep breath. He wouldn’t give up so easily, practically begging him to reconsider. “Please, Daniel, think about it. I know you love your father, but you have to think of your _own_ life.”

 “I know!” cried Daniel, looking more frightened and confused by the moment. His voice had become very thick. “I want to leave, you know I do. But it is much too fast!”

 “Alright,” said Philip quickly, wrapping his arms around him once more and holding him close. “Alright. Perhaps that is sensible. But you must realise that what the Admiral has done to you is repulsive. _Unforgivable_. People who love other people, who _truly_ love them, do not lock them away and deny them their places in the world.”

 Daniel buried his face in Philip’s chest, trying desperately not to cry.

 “There now…” Philip murmured, gently stroking his curls and making small, comforting sounds. “I know it’s scary. But you’re grown now. You need to take your life back…”

 Daniel sniffed. “I know…I’m twenty-one years old…today, actually.”

 “What?” Philip drew back. “It’s your _birthday_ today?”

 “Yes.” said Daniel, giving the merest hint of a smile. “Happy Birthday to me…” he said sarcastically.  

 Despite everything, Philip could not help but smile back. “Well…many happy returns, I suppose! I’m sorry, I have nothing to give you…”

 “That’s not true.” said Daniel. “Your being here is the greatest gift of all…”

 Philip snorted slightly at the sheer soppiness of the sentiment-but he couldn’t help leaning forward and gently kissing Daniel’s lips. “Apart from Sooty, of course.”

 “Oh!” Daniel looked delighted with the kiss-but even more so with what followed. “You remembered her name!”

 “Of course I did,” Philip had tried to memorize every tiny little detail about Daniel, for it all seemed terribly important. “Where is she, anyway?” He looked all around Daniel’s bedroom, spotting a small, black pile of fur cowering shyly under his bed…but what a bed! Philip was enchanted. He had never seen such a thing in all his life. The beautiful four-poster oaken frame, the graceful curtains, and the silken navy eiderdown… “ _Wow.._.”

 Daniel giggled at him good-naturedly. “How funny you are. It is only a bed.”

 “It’s incredible!” Philip got to his feet, and hurried over to get a closer look. Very carefully, as if worried he might dirty it, he ran a finger along the eiderdown, feeling its luxurious softness…“You must sleep like a babe in this…”

 “It’s nice, I suppose…” said Daniel, following him. He sat down on the bed, sinking deep into the soft mattress. “It’s lovely and warm in the winter…”

 “I bet it is.” said Philip, just about managing to keep a hint of jealousy out of his tone. He thought of his own narrow bed at home, how freezing cold the room could become, how some days in the dead of January he would find icicles growing on the _inside_ of his window…but he quickly expelled these thoughts, concentrating solely on Daniel. He was just so lovely, so utterly astounding…he wondered whether he ought to sit beside him, but perhaps that would not be proper. He did not want Daniel to feel-

 Philip did not have time to finish forming the thought, for Daniel had just grabbed him around the waist, pulled him down onto the bed, and began to kiss him hungrily. Philip, more than happy to oblige, lost himself in Daniel, closing his eyes and falling backwards onto the bed, lying beside him in perfect opulence on the heavenly eiderdown, as if they were resting upon a cloud in the sky. Daniel was not experienced in the art of kissing, but his enthusiasm more than made up for it, and he was a total joy, delighted to be guided by Philip’s superior skill…but, gradually, he began to take on a more frantic tone. Pressing himself closer into him, Daniel began to make small, delicious moaning noises, his hands buried almost painfully tightly in Philip’s wet hair, then his shoulders, then his back, then his waist…he seemed unable to touch enough of him quickly enough to satisfy…

 Philip, once more, was rendered speechless. For all Daniel’s protestation that he wanted to take things slowly…he seemed in a desperate hurry now.

 “ _Please_ …” Daniel whispered, his voice barely audible. “ _I want you…I need you_ … _now_ …”

 At the sound of this Philip was rendered almost utterly powerless to resist…and yet, he knew that he must. Daniel was so very green…he might not understand what he was implying…Everything that happened on this bed tonight had to be absolutely on Daniel’s terms. No matter how much Philip wanted to tear off those fancy black clothes and kiss every inch of that beautiful pale skin…

 “Darling…” he whispered back, kissing Daniel’s cheek. “You are astonishing…I adore you…but remember…we have all the time in the world…there is no pressure-”

 “ _Please_ …” Daniel pressed himself even tighter to Philip, so close that he could feel his heart thumping beneath his shirt. His hands began to paw at Philip’s collar, loosening his tie and grasping at the exposed skin beneath.  “ _I want to be closer_ … _I want to feel you_ …”

 Well. He couldn’t have made himself much clearer.

 Philip helped Daniel to rip off his jacket, casting it down onto the floor as Daniel eagerly began undoing the buttons of his shirt. Once it had fallen open, Philip practically tore Daniel’s jacket from his back, throwing it carelessly away without a thought for how much such a garment must have cost, before pulling his tie over his head and getting rid of his velvet waistcoat, then starting to unbutton his shirt. It had many more buttons than Philip’s, and they were altogether more difficult to manage. He gave a small grunt of frustration.

 “God, Daniel, why do you have to be so difficult to undress?”

 Daniel merely giggled, his chest rising and falling as he grew more excited by the moment. He lay back as Philip continued to unclothe him, until finally, he threw the shirt, along with his braces, onto the carpet.

 “Where it belongs…” Philip hissed, kissing him ever more intrusively, feeling all that beautiful exposed skin, every plane and contour…Daniel’s nails scratched their way down Philip’s spine, digging into him…his lips tasted of sugar and strawberry jam…he could not get enough of him…

 “ _Oh God_ …” Daniel moaned, slipping Philip’s braces from his shoulders and pulling his shirt off, tossing it away. “ _Philip_ …” He began to kiss his neck, gentleness turning quickly to biting. It felt indescribable…Philip groaned with pleasure, as Daniel’s hands ran over and over his bare skin. But, as he combed his fingers through Daniel’s hair, he knew that something was wrong here.

 “Hey…” he whispered-before taking both of Daniel’s hands and pinning them firmly above his head. “It’s _your_ birthday…let me take care of you…”

 Daniel gave a strangled sort of gasp-then, quivering all over with anticipation, he lay back and closed his eyes...


	7. Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you so so much for reading, and for all your comments and kudos! I appreciate you all so much, and I really hope you continue to read this. Things are about to get kicked up a notch...
> 
> Here is the other half of yesterday's chapter! I promise there will be a much longer one tomorrow <3 much love xxx

 Daniel was not entirely sure what was going to happen next. Physically, of course, he had an idea of what Philip was going to do to him, and he was more than eager for whatever came-but nothing could have prepared him for the feeling he experienced when Philip ripped the last of his clothing off, leaving nothing at all between his skin and the silky eiderdown. He had expected to feel vulnerable, literally laying himself bare in front of the person he adored…but he was so utterly comfortable and at ease that all he could do was shiver with excitement at the thought of what was to come.

 The _noise_ Daniel made when he felt Philip’s tongue…it wasn’t quite human. It ought to belong to an animal of some sort, though exactly which he couldn’t tell. As he licked him, hot, wet, and close, Daniel covered his face with his hands, squeezing his eyes shut, and letting out a series of deep, shuddering breaths.

 When he finally felt his mouth-Daniel’s mind was not quite his own. In his head, there was nothing but a thoughtless ocean of sheer, unadulterated pleasure. He had not believed, until that moment, that the sensation Philip was giving him could even exist in any world outside of his dreams…when he opened his eyes, his vision was blurred, the canopy above the bed nothing but a wash of colour. Nothing mattered, nothing was real, except the feel of... _oh_. As Philip took him deeper, deep enough that he made small, delicious choking noises from the back of his throat, Daniel lost the ability to see, or even to think, whatsoever…

 Daniel grasped at the eiderdown with both hands, knotting them in the soft fabric, for he felt that if he did not, he would surely float away…as the glorious sensation grew faster, harder, more intense than ever, he began to feel as if he was hanging off the edge of a mountain. All he had to do, to feel better than anyone in the world had ever felt, was to fly-

 He finished without expecting it, crying out as he did. As he felt shudders of delight coursing through every part of him, he wondered how on Earth he had lived his entire life without _this_. This was yet another new world that Philip had opened up before him. And he was…he was free…

 It took Daniel a long moment to gather his thoughts. Somewhere, far away, he head Philip gulp, then wipe his mouth, panting. _Philip_. The most wonderful person in the world. If he had not believed he was falling for him before, this, _this_ , would have sealed his fate…Lying there, in the final throws of pleasure, he knew that he was Philip’s until the day he died.

 “Alright?” Philip himself asked softly, crawling up onto the bed beside him. He wrapped his arms around him and kissed his hair, looking extremely pleased with himself.

 Daniel tried to form the worlds to express exactly what he was thinking, what he was feeling, everything he wanted to tell Philip…but, in the end, he had to give up. He merely buried his face in Philip’s chest, feeling as though he wanted to laugh and cry in equal measures.

 “Oh God, Daniel…” Philip whispered, kissing his curls once more. “I adore you…”

 “Y-you too…” Daniel stammered back, burrowing closer to him. “So, so much…”

 In like manner they lay for some time, like the survivors of a shipwreck, clinging to one another and listening to the rain beating down outside. Naturally, as it grew colder, they sank down beneath the covers, clinging to one another for warmth like children curled up together. It was so unbelievably _comfortable_ …Daniel could not imagine how he could ever have slept in this bed alone. It would surely feel huge, empty, and cold without Philip beside him. Lying on feather pillows, cocooned in their own perfect, quiet corner of the world…there was nothing to do but fall, blissfully, asleep…


	8. Clipped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you so, so much for reading this, and for all your comments and kudos! I appreciate you all so much. I really hope you enjoy this chapter, and more tomorrow! Best wishes xxx

“ _Shit_!”

 Daniel’s eyes snapped open at the sudden outburst from beside him. As the fogginess of sleep quickly cleared, he felt warm arms around him that were not his own…but the joy of realising that he had awoken next to Philip was diluted somewhat by the fact that he was desperately looking around the room for a clock.

 “What time is it? It’s Monday morning!” Philip was half frantic. “I have to be at work!”

 Daniel blinked a few times, shaking his head, before reaching out and drawing back the curtain of his four-poster bed, and reaching for the little gold carriage clock on the bedside cabinet. He squinted slightly to check its face. “It’s half past five…” he croaked, somewhat in shock. Daniel had never been awake at half past five in the morning in his life.

 “Oh, thank goodness…” said Philip, relaxing. He gave a small, tired laugh, and pulled Daniel back into his arms. “Sorry. I was terrified I was late…”

 His eyes itched with drowsiness, but Daniel snuggled into Philip, feeling warmer and safer than he had ever felt in his life. “I can’t believe you’re here…” he whispered, smiling.  “It’s…it’s the craziest thing in the world…and the best…”

 “I know.” said Philip, kissing his hair. “I wish I could wake up like this every morning…because this bed is ridiculously comfortable, I mean, _seriously_ -I’m joking, I’m joking!” he added quickly, as Daniel glared at him. “It’s obviously because of you.” He kissed him again, lingering as long as he could. “It’s all because of you…”

 Daniel’s heart glowed. “Philip…” he murmured, taking both his hands. “I want you to know that I have never been happier than I am at this moment. I didn’t know that this kind of happiness could even exist. Since you…I have realised how amazing the world truly is. And I cannot wait to see more of it by your side…I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me. With all my heart, I adore you more than anyone was ever adored...”

 Philip said nothing to this-but he squeezed his hands, smiling gently at him with the softest eyes Daniel had ever seen…before, with a heavy heart, he gave a sigh. “I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to go.”

 “What?” Daniel held on tighter. “No!”

 “I have to go to work!” Philip rolled his eyes guiltily. “God, it seems impossible that something as normal as work still exists…but I really have to go, otherwise I’ll never make it on time. I have to better myself, remember? So that one day, I’ll be able to afford a lovely bed like this.”

 Daniel was still adamant that Philip was going nowhere. He turned over and kissed him, cradling his face in his hands. “Stay here…” he whispered, his voice taking on a honey tone. “Remember what you did to me last night? I want to return the favour…”

 This momentarily worked, to buy a few more seconds…before Philip had to pull away. “…As _outrageously_ tempting as that is…” Philip kissed him a final time. “I really do have to go.”

 Much to Daniel’s dismay, he reluctantly rolled out of bed and began to grope on the floor for his discarded clothes, buttoning his shirt and knotting his tie. “God, I hope the ladder is still there…”

 “ _Bother_ stupid work,” Daniel pouted, sitting up and pulling the bedclothes over his chest. “Come back.”

 “Easy for you to say, rich boy!” Philip teased him, tucking his shirt into his trousers and securing them with braces. “Where’s my jacket-? Oh wait, that’s definitely your one…wow, look at the tailoring...this must have cost-” 

 “ _Please_ , darling,” said Daniel, fixing him with enormous, sad eyes and trying to look as miserable as possible. “Don’t leave me…”

 “Oh, don’t! I’m going to cry!” Philip chuckled at this performance-but still, he bent down, still half into his jacket, and kissed him hard. “I’ll come back, I promise. How could I stay away from you?”

 “You must.” said Daniel, finally deciding to be pacified. “Tonight? Oh no…” His face fell. “My father returns tonight…”

 “Oh God,” said Philip, pretending to be afraid. “I’d better run.” But then, suddenly, he looked very serious. “Oh, Daniel, I am loathed to leave you here with that monster…”

 “He’s not a monster!” Daniel protested-but it was only half-hearted. “He’s still my father. I owe him so much. I can’t just disappear…”

 “You can,” said Philip darkly-but he knew when to drop the subject. “Remember, the moment you are ready to leave-I will be there with open arms.” He shrugged his jacket onto his shoulders, then stepped into his boots. “But for now-I have to say goodbye.” He leant down, and kissed Daniel a final time-before, very much against his will, he made his way over to the window. He pushed it open, and looked down with a slight shudder. “I am really not looking forward to this…”

 “Please be careful!” Daniel called to him. He rose from his bed and grabbed his dressing gown, fastening it, before hurrying over to the window, from which Philip had just begun to climb out. Once his feet were steady on the rungs of the ladder, he slowly began his descent into the cold morning air. Daniel shivered as he watched, pulling his robe more tightly around himself. But at least the rain had stopped. “Goodbye!” he called down to him. “See you soon! Very soon!”

 He watched Philip climb all the way down onto the pavement below, not at ease until both his feet were planted firmly on the ground. At this early hour, the High Street was completely deserted, but for a few roaming seagulls. With some difficulty, Philip turned the ladder horizontal and held it securely beneath his arm. Then, he looked up to Daniel’s window and waved.

 With sorrow in his heart, Daniel waved back. He did not stop waving until Philip was out of sight.

 Then, filled with love and weary from emotion, he closed the window, disrobed, and climbed back into bed. He lay on Philip’s pillow, the mattress still indented from his body, and closed his eyes. With absolute certainty, he knew that he loved him with all his soul…Seconds later, he was fast asleep.

* * *

 Knocking. Loud, hard knocking.

 Once more, Daniel blearily raised his head. He blinked hard at the abrupt waking. For one, stupid, moment, he thought that Philip had returned to him-before he realised that the mass of black hair on the pillow beside him was in fact Sooty. She must have slept under the bed throughout Philip’s visit, and now she had taken back her rightful place.

 More knocking.

 “Daniel? Are you still abed?”

 Daniel almost jumped out of his skin. He peered through the window at the daylight outside, before checking his carriage clock. God. It was half past three in the afternoon. He had slept all day.

 And now the Admiral was at his door.

 “C-come in!” Daniel called-before remembering that he was indecent. He quickly ensured that every inch of his body was covered by his eiderdown, pulling it up to his neck. A second later, he heard a key turn in the lock, and his door swung open to reveal Admiral Malock, dressed in his habitual military garb and looking most anxious. At his entrance, Sooty took one look at him and jumped off the bed, scampering across the carpet to sit on the windowsill.

 “Hello there, daffodil!” said the Admiral, as if he had not just sentenced Daniel to a weekend locked in his bedroom. “Why were you sleeping? Are you unwell?”

 “Oh no!” said Daniel, pulling his covers higher and feeling more self-conscious by the moment. “J-just tired! I-I’m sorry, Father, I’m not exactly dressed for company!” he said, rather desperately. “I-I really ought to put something on before-“

 “Oh, no matter, no matter,” said the Admiral quickly-though Daniel could have sworn that a flash of hunger passed through his cold, grey eyes. They were so different from the kindness and warmth of Philip’s…Daniel tugged his covers up as high as they would go. Then, horribly-the Admiral sat down upon the side of his bed. “I have missed you so much that I hardly care what you are wearing...” He reached out, and stroked Daniel’s cheek, his hands clammy and calloused. Daniel had to fight not to flinch away. “Now, Daniel, I want you to listen to me very carefully.”

 Daniel said nothing. He nodded, wanting to end this uncomfortable interaction as quickly as possible.

 “I owe you an apology, daffodil.” the Admiral began-much to Daniel’s surprise. He could not recall a time when the Admiral had apologised to anyone. “It is possible that, by locking you in here, I overreacted. I believed at the time that it was necessary, but I realise now that it may have been rather cruel.”

  _Understatement of the century,_ Daniel thought darkly. But he kept silent, his eyes fixed upon his father’s face, his hands grasping the eiderdown beneath his chin.

 “Therefore, to atone for my mistake, I have decided that things are going to change around here.”

 Daniel gawked at his guardian, hardly daring to believe what he was hearing.

 “You are a man now,” said the Admiral, his eyes rather misty. “And I need to stop treating you like a child. You are grown-up, and you must take your place in the world. And so…” He paused. “I wish to give you your birthday surprise.” 

 Daniel was positive he was dreaming. Could it be? Could the Admiral really be about to offer him his freedom? It was surely too good to be true…but what else could he possibly mean? Was Daniel about to, with his father’s blessing, walk out of the Great House and straight into Philip’s arms?

 “Daffodil…” the Admiral begun, his eyes shining in the afternoon sun. “I do not want you to live alone for a moment longer. I wish to give you equal ownership of this house, and of my company. I want to give you all the freedoms that I enjoy…” He paused for a moment, smiling widely with his false teeth. “What do you think about that?”

 Daniel didn’t dare to say a word, in case the scene before him dissolved and he woke up. There was no way that the Admiral could truly be saying those words. His stomach felt as if it was full of butterflies…slowly, a smile began to spread across his cheeks.

 “I thought so.” said the Admiral smugly. He patted Daniel’s cheek once more, as if he was a puppy dog. “I knew you’d be delighted. Now…” He took a deep breath-and, suddenly, it was as if he was nervous. “You must understand that such privileges come with certain _conditions_.”

 “Oh-oh yes!” Daniel choked out, his heart racing. His thoughts were only of Philip-how happy he would be when he knew! “ _Anything_!”

 Meanwhile, the Admiral’s smile widened, like a hungry toad before a meal.

 “I am thrilled that you are so enthusiastic!” Then-he reached towards him once more. “Give me your hand, daffodil…”

 Unrestrainedly, Daniel did so, beaming at his father. He was so close to freedom with Philip, he could almost taste it…

 “Now…” With his other hand, the Admiral reached into his pocket. Then, he produced a small, square, blue-velvet box, around the size and proportions of a whiskey glass.

 Daniel stared at it, slightly confused-but still far too ecstatic to think anything sinister of it.

 Finally-the Admiral opened the box. Inside, sitting on a luxurious blue cushion-was an enormous solitaire diamond, set into a beautiful platinum ring…

 The words were spoken dispassionately; given, as was customary to the Admiral, as a martial order upon a ship.

 “ _Marry me_.”


	9. Perch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading, and for all your comments and kudos! I appreciate you all so so much! <3 
> 
> More tomorrow. I hope you enjoy this! xxx

 Taking a deep breath, Philip gritted his teeth and knocked.

 After a few moments, the same nervous-looking aide who always seemed to open the door for the Admiral appeared to do his duty, before springing respectfully-and nervously-back to reveal his superior. Was it Philip’s imagination, or did the aide look even more nervous than usual?

 “Papers?” the Admiral barked at Philip, without bothering to greet him. He considered such niceties wasted on creatures such as junior clerks. But Philip was beyond silently rebuking the man for his manners. He had much more serious problems with the great Malock.

 “Here.” said Philip, unsmiling as he thrust a leather wallet into the waiting hands of the aide. Looking up at the Admiral, in his pretentious full military uniform, so needless and out of place in his own home, with his cold eyes and self-satisfied exterior-he felt a sickness in his soul that amounted to utter loathing.

 “Good,” the Admiral said, snatching the papers from the aide and beginning to rifle through them. “All seems to be in order. I shall send this _article_ -“ Here, he gestured rather violently to the aide, who gulped. His master was in a foul mood, and the Admiral seemed to be accustomed to taking it out upon his staff. “-along this afternoon, with the particulars…if he has enough brains to do _something_ correctly at least!” Here, the aide trembled. Philip felt a stab of pity for the lad-but not as much as he felt for Daniel…

 “You can go now.” the Admiral was saying impatiently to Philip, glaring down his nose at him as if he were a rat on the street.

  _Catch me staying_ , Philip thought to himself. He backed out from the doorstep and, habitually, looked up at Daniel’s window, to see if he was there.

 But, at what he saw, Philip’s heart shattered.

 There was Daniel, sitting as usual on the window-seat, looking out at the world. But, instead of looking down onto the street, his eyes were fixed directly at the clouds. There was something unusual about his face-it was pale, with huge purple bags beneath his eyes as if he had not slept in a week. What’s more…even from the street, Philip could see that he was crying.

 Philip stared up at Daniel, wondering what on Earth could have happened-and, most of all, hating that he could not be there to comfort him. How repulsive the Admiral’s treatment of Daniel was. How Philip hated him…and how his chest ached to see Daniel looking so miserable and wretched…

 “Hey!”

 Suddenly, Philip was brought out of his thoughts by a sharp, military bark. His eyes snapped back to the Admiral-who was fixing him with a very peculiar look. Suspiciously, he followed Philip’s gaze with his eyes until-

 “You were looking up at my ward, weren’t you?”

 Philip’s stomach dropped like a stone.

 “Yes…” The Admiral shoved his aide aside, and took a step towards Philip, right out of his house and onto the doorstep. He really was an enormous man…in his shadow, Philip could not help but feel like a mouse. “You were looking at my ward!”

 Though he tried to be brave-Philip could not help but feel wary. If he wanted to, he was certain that the Admiral could knock him flat. “No!” he found himself saying. The guilt he felt to deny Daniel did not quite outweigh his fear. “No! Of course not-I-I would never-I-I didn’t even know you had a-“

 The Admiral silenced him with a raised hand. The coldness in his eyes was turning to white-hot fury. “It is not your place to gawk at what it mine. If you ever…” He took a step closer. “ _ever_ look at my ward again, you will wish you had never been born, boy…” His nostrils flared with rage. “I shall be talking to your superiors about you-mark my words, they will know that you are nothing but a low-life gutter-snake! Now-leave this place and never, ever return…or you shall feel the full force of my wrath…” The Admiral took a final step towards Philip, his hand still raised. “Go on! Beat it!”

 Philip did not need telling twice. Clutching the strap of his bag for support, he hurried across the street, silently cursing the Admiral’s name. He did not dare look back at Daniel-but he knew now, more than ever, that he had to get Daniel out of there if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

 Daniel had not stopped crying since he had awoken that morning, in his large, empty bed, with Sooty by his side. He had howled into his pillows for a while, before forcing himself to rise, perhaps to take some air in an attempt to think more clearly. But the moment he had sat down on the window-seat, he had begun to weep once more.

 On his bedside cabinet, beside his carriage clock, there sat the navy blue jewellery box, like an unexploded bomb. Daniel wanted to vomit every time he looked at it.

 How could this be? How could this have happened to him? He was so _confused-_ why, after all these years of raising him as a son…how could the Admiral have done such a thing? It was too much to bear…once more, tears flowed thick and fast down his cheeks. All those happy-well, happy- _ish_ -childhood memories…and this was the result? Daniel felt as if every fatherly thing the Admiral had ever done for him was a lie, a lie to reach this end…

 Perhaps Daniel ought to have suspected. In recent years, all the touching, all the kisses, all the times that Daniel had felt weirded out by the actions of the Admiral towards him…how could he have been so _stupid_? But then again…who could possibly have guessed that it would come to this?

 Knock.

 “Oh no-!” Daniel choked out, looking around in the direction of his bedroom door-but it was too late. Without waiting for an invitation, the door swung open, and in strode the Admiral himself. As soon as he appeared-Daniel had the sudden urge to launch himself out of the window, to do whatever was necessary to get as far away from the Admiral as possible.

 “Good morning, daffodil.” said Malock, as if this were a perfectly ordinary day. Just the sound of his voice made Daniel’s skin crawl. “I trust you had a good night’s sleep?”

 Daniel found that his throat had closed up entirely. He could not speak-but he fixed the Admiral with what he hoped was a very wounded look.

 “ _Good_.” said the Admiral obliviously-perhaps deliberately so. Now, to Daniel’s horror-he strode right the way across Daniel’s bedroom and sat down beside him on the cushions. Daniel inched as far away from him as possible, feeling sicker by the moment. “I wonder if you have had a chance to mull over my proposition yet?”

 In truth, of course, Daniel had thought of little else. But he could only make a small, whimpering sound.

 “I understand that you are nervous,” said the Admiral, in a voice that displayed the opposite of understanding. “Perhaps I was too rash in springing it upon you as I did yesterday afternoon. I ought to have waited for a more opportune moment. But I hope you can see that my haste to ask you was only in admiration of you.”

 Still, Daniel’s throat remained shut.

 “It is a mammoth question for anyone, and especially for you,” the Admiral continued ignorantly. “but know that I am ready and waiting for your answer, as soon as you choose to accept me.”

 Daniel physically heaved. “ _Choose” to accept me_ …that was not a choice. Then again…the proposal had not exactly been a choice either. There was no _would you_ , nor _will you_ , nor _please_. There had only been the order: _marry me_.

 It had been exactly that. An order.

 Daniel swallowed painfully hard, to clear his airway. Then, finally-he found his tongue.

 “ _Father_ …” he began, the word tasting filthy in his mouth. “I…I _can’t_ …”

 Silence fell.

 The Admiral’s face, very slowly, changed. It began confused. Then, somehow-suspicious. But in the end-there was nothing but fury.

 “…Well, I am _extremely_ sorry to hear that.”

 His tone was anything but sorry. His tone was very soft-and dangerous. He spoke the words as though they were a threat.

 Daniel waited, terrified.

 “I shall give you another twenty-four hours,” the Admiral announced, as if this were a great privilege. “in which to look to your choice and reconsider. I hope that by this time tomorrow you will feel far more positively disposed towards me. Otherwise…we shall have to think very carefully about what is going to happen next…”

 A shiver ran like cold water down Daniel’s spine.

 “In the meantime,” the Admiral said, getting to his feet. “I shall be locking you in here once more.” He paused for a second, while Daniel took in this news. In the face of the far larger horror facing him, he barely reacted. And so…the Admiral lay his hand on Daniel’s hair. “I love you very much, my daffodil. Remember-this is all for your own good…”

 He placed a dry kiss on Daniel’s cheek. It felt as though he had left some sort of disgusting insect behind on the skin.

 Then, with a swish of military jacket and a clump of heavy boots-he was gone. There came the familiar sound of a key turning in the lock.


	10. Cage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm so so sorry for not posting yesterday! I'm a terrible author, I know. Still, thank you so so much for sticking with me, and I really hope you enjoy this! More tomorrow, promise! <3 xxx

If someone had told Philip that he would be preparing to climb up the side of an admiral’s house for the second time in a week a month ago, he would have laughed in their faces. And yet, in the freezing night air at almost midnight, clutching the same splintery old ladder in his red-raw hands, there he was. How was it that life could become so bizarre so quickly?

 This time, as Philip steadied the ladder against the house, there was a little more of a risk, what with the Admiral being at home. There was nothing on earth that could stop him seeing Daniel, and making sure that he was alright after he had seen him crying so bitterly that morning, but it was nerve-wracking nonetheless. He would have to trust that the old man would have long since fallen asleep. Praying that nothing would go wrong, he began, gingerly, to climb.

 There was less wind tonight, so he did not feel quite so afraid of falling as he ascended, but it was so bitterly cold that he found it harder and harder to grip the rungs. Gritting his teeth, he moved as quickly as possible, trying to keep his hands from seizing up. He kept his eyes focused on Daniel’s windowpane, thinking only of his warm embrace…

 Finally-Philip knocked hard on the glass.

 A moment later, dressed in silk night-clothes and a dressing gown, Daniel appeared. His eyes were still very red, his face pale with worry-but he managed a small smile as he pushed the window open and helped Philip climb inside. “You’re freezing!” The moment both Philip’s boots were safely planted on the carpet, he removed his robe and draped it over Philip’s shoulders.

 “Thanks.” said Philip gratefully-but he had bigger concerns. “’I saw you at the window earlier today, and you looked so terribly upset! Is everything alright?”

 The moment he spoke-Daniel’s face fell. He threw his arms around him, holding on tight. “Oh Philip, something awful has happened!”

 When he told him…Philip was sickened to his core. He thought of the Admiral’s words to him earlier, threatening him for even looking at Daniel-and realised that this revelation of his true motives perfectly explained all of his questionable behaviour towards him, all the over-protection, all the sheltering and obsession…it was far too obvious for words. Still-how someone who had been Daniel’s father for the last twenty years or so could suddenly turn around and propose marriage to him was repulsive. By the time Daniel had finished speaking, Philip felt physically ill.

 “…I wish I could say I was surprised, but I’m not…” he murmured darkly. “I knew there was something wrong with that man…oh Daniel, I’m so sorry.” He pulled him closer, stroking his hair, as Daniel buried his head in his shoulder. “How horrible this is for you…”

 Daniel made a small, dry sobbing noise. “I feel so used. I feel like I’ve never had a father at all-that all the time, he’s just been waiting to…”

 “I know…” Philip comforted him as best he could. “I know…” Once more, a wave of disgust swept through him as he thought on how vile the Admiral was. Then, with a deep breath, he focused all of his energy on poor Daniel. “Darling…I know you say it is too fast…and I completely appreciate that…but my offer still stands. If you want to leave, if you need somewhere else to stay-then what is mine is yours. I don’t have much, but you are welcome to-“

 “ _Yes_!” Daniel cried out. “ _Yes_! _Please_ -get me out of here!”

 Philip had to carefully ensure that he had heard correctly-before a huge grin spread across his face. As he held Daniel close, euphoria spread through his entire body. Finally, finally…Daniel would  escape the Admiral’s clutches and be free…“Well…alright then!”

 Daniel broke the embrace, beaming, and dived beneath his bed. “I’ve been packed all day!” he exclaimed, pulling a small trunk out from under it. “Just let me check and we’ll be off! Oh-sorry Sooty! I nearly just stepped on her!”

 As Daniel prepared to leave, Philip meandered about the room, admiring its finery and considering what a culture-shock his own home would be…but anywhere in the world had to be better than being locked away. Philip would rather live under the docks with the rats than be trapped in the same house all his life. Poor Daniel…Philip was elated that he was finally to have his freedom. Of course, the best part was that he was going to live with him! No more sneaking around, no more climbing-they would be able to see one another whenever they wanted! This was sheer bliss…

 As he looked around, observing the fine oak-panelling on the door…something caught his eyes.

 “Daniel? Why is there a hole in your door?”

 Daniel looked up from where he had been firmly pressing down the lid of his trunk. “Yes?” he said, as if this was a perfectly normal thing to have. He seemed quite confused as to exactly why Philip was asking about it.

 Slowly…horribly…Philip realised. Once more, he wished that he was surprised by the Admiral’s actions…but he was only further revolted. “Oh my God…that’s just…that’s just _foul_.”

 “What?” Daniel was innocently puzzled.

 Philip looked at him hard, once more feeling physically ill. “You do know what this hole is for, don’t you?”

 “No?” Daniel was beginning to look concerned. “What? I thought all houses had them?”

 “Oh, Daniel…it’s so he can _look_ at you.” Philip spat the words out, nauseated. “It’s so he can watch you when you don’t know he’s there.”

 As comprehension spread across Daniel’s face-he turned quite pale. “Oh God!”

 Philip gritted his teeth. He hurried to Daniel’s side, kissing the top of his head-before picking up his trunk. “Let’s just get you away from here.” he said gently.

 Daniel looked up at him for a moment-before, resolutely, he nodded. He hurried over to the wardrobe, and pulled on the same black coat, scarf, and gloves as before, then, he turned to Sooty, who was watching all this commotion from his bed with interest. “Come on, girl.” he said, picking her up. “Thank goodness you’re still so little!” Very carefully, he tucked her into the front of his coat, over his chest, with her head sticking out by his neck. He kept one hand in place to support her. “There. Sorry, cat, but it’s only temporary.”  

 Philip was amused-but slightly concerned. “Sooty’s coming?”

 “Of course Sooty is coming! I am not leaving her here! The Admiral never wanted her in the first place-goodness knows what he would do to her!”

 Philip looked warily over to the window. “So you’ll be climbing down with one hand?”

 Daniel pressed his lips together. Certainly climbing down a ladder with a wriggly cat was not ideal-but there was simply no alternative. “I’ll be okay.” he said bravely.

 Trying not to think about everything that could go wrong-Philip made his way over to the window.

 It was easy enough for him to climb down, even with the heavy trunk-he was almost used to it by now. In almost no time, he had reached the bottom, setting Dan’s luggage down and looking up, with a lot more trepidation, to see Daniel gingerly climbing out of the window. He held his breath as he watched, praying with all his might that Daniel would be okay. But, thankfully, he managed to set both feet on the top rung of the ladder, before adjusting Sooty and beginning his slow descent to the cobbled street below.

 “I did it!” he exclaimed as his feet hit the ground, an expression of pure joy spreading across his face-before he remembered that they had to be quiet. Instead, he grinned guiltily at Philip, holding onto Sooty with both hands. “Shall we go?” he whispered, giddy with excitement.

 “Yes,” Philip whispered back. Together, they took one last look at the Great House on the High Street…before he picked up the trunk once more in one hand, and threw the other around Daniel’s waist. “Come on. Home.”

* * *

 Daniel was a little shocked by Philip’s house. Well-it wasn’t really a house at all. It was one room in a large brick building, filled with strange noises and smells. Philip led him up a back staircase that stank of urine, all the way up to the very top floor. On the way, they passed a drunken man, slouching on the stairwell and mumbling to himself what sounded like a folk song. Daniel held onto Sooty tightly, moving closer to Philip, who seemed utterly unfazed by this, walking purposefully up the stairs. Sooty herself, warm and cuddled up, had fallen asleep, snuffling gently into his shirt. As they turned onto a short corridor full of doors, and Daniel heard a volatile couple arguing behind one door, a baby crying bitterly behind another, he very much envied her. There was a tiny fireplace at the end of the corridor, which seemed to be communal, and did precious little to heat the place. Indeed, it was utterly freezing.

 “Here it is!” said Philip, slotting a key into the final door. He was playing it very cool, but Daniel could tell how nervous he was. Not entirely certain what to expect to find on the other side, Daniel followed Philip through into his room.

 The place was sparse, with white plaster on the walls and bare, uneven floorboards, covered only with the rug from their evening on the beach. There was very little furniture; only a little table with a single chair, a hook on the wall from which Philip’s clothes hung, a tiny cupboard, a metal bucket of water in one corner, and a single bed in the other. The whole place was reassuringly clean, but Daniel had never felt more like a fish out of water. Everything Philip owned in the world was encased in a room far smaller than even his bedroom at home…though, of course, the Great House wasn’t home any longer. This was.

 “I know it’s not much…” said Philip self-consciously, setting Daniel’s trunk down under the hook.

 This room had been worked for, everything in it had been won through hard graft. Daniel turned to him, impressed and proud, and gave him the warmest smile. “It’s perfect.”

 At this-Philip could not help but smile back. “You’re so sweet…” He shook his head a little, but he looked pleased. “I know it’s nothing compared to what you had at the Admiral’s…we could really do with your big bed, hey? I’ll sleep on the floor.” he added quickly. “Don’t worry-“

 “Absolutely not.” Daniel said, unbuttoning his coat and setting Sooty gently down upon the bed. Without so much as a second thought, she curled right up and went back to sleep, as if she had lived there her entire life. Cats were so lucky-they just didn’t care. As long as there was something soft to lie on, all was right with the world. “No. I wouldn’t hear of it. We’ll just have to be a little bit squashed for now…”

 “Alright,” said Philip, though he looked a little dubious as to how two people over six feet tall would manage…but they would do just that. Manage. “Wait. For _now_?”

 “Well, yes,” said Daniel, gently scratching Sooty behind her ears, before kneeling down and delving into his trunk. He shoved aside his clothes, his books, and his other affects, before he located a large, black leather purse. “Every birthday of my life, my father gave me money as a present. I never got out anywhere to spend it, did I? And so…” He weighed it in his hand. “I’m sure it will be enough to get us on our feet.”

 Philip stared at him, bewildered, for a long moment. Then-he chuckled. “Rich boy…but that’s amazing! How much do you think- _oh_!” He gasped as Daniel opened the purse, gaping at what was inside. “ _Jesus_ …and I used to get a sixpence!”

 “Enough for a bigger bed, don’t you think?” said Daniel, as he put the purse away.

 “Enough to give the whole _building_ new beds!” Philip was still slightly in shock. “Daniel, you had better hide that away, it’ll be nicked in five seconds here!”

 “Well, once I’m earning too, we’ll move into somewhere a little bit nicer. No offence.” he added quickly.

 “Oh, none taken!” Philip said eagerly. “What will you do?”

 “I’m certain I’ll find something,” said Daniel, rooting in the trunk and retrieving a tightly-folded blanket, which he threw onto the bed, before beginning to stack his books on top of the cupboard. “I’ll start looking right away.”

 “With your accent alone, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” said Philip. He sat down rather dumbfoundedly on the bed, and began to finger the blanket, which was dark blue and extremely warm, with decorative gold stars stitched onto the boarders. “Well… _wow_...” He coughed slightly, still grinning. “I don’t quite know what to say!”

 Daniel found it easy to make himself at home with Philip. Somehow, as soon as he was unpacked, it felt more cosy than the Admiral’s house had ever felt. In no time at all, he and Philip were snuggled up in bed together, keeping warm, and watching Sooty exploring her new home. She sniffed around the place, scoping out the room, before jumping into Daniel’s trunk and curling up once more. Most likely, she was comforted by the familiar smell. Daniel, on the other hand, was comforted by Philip. It was strange to lie fully-clothed in bed, but it was truly the only way to avoid freezing. As much as Daniel was growing to like Philip’s little room, it was still bitterly cold. Still, cuddled up together underneath the blankets, Daniel found that he didn’t care. It only gave him an excuse to nestle in closer.

 “You alright?” Philip asked him softly, leaning in for yet another kiss.

 “Of course.” Daniel answered, when it had broken. “I’m better than ever…”

 Like that, with the lateness of the hour overtaking both of them, Daniel and Philip fell asleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

 

 “Daniel?” called the Admiral, knocking respectfully on his bedroom door. It was morning, sometime after breakfast. Having sent one of his aides out early to procure some flowers for Daniel, he now cradled an enormous bouquet of fresh roses in his arms. “Can I come in?”

 Silence.

 Perhaps he was still asleep. He knocked once more, louder this time. “Daniel? I know you are in there…” With some difficulty, he managed to push the key into the lock whilst balancing the flowers. “I only wish to talk to you.”

 Still, no sound came from within.

 “Oh, daffodil…” the Admiral sighed, rolling his eyes. “I do not wish to be cruel to you-but you really do drive me to it. I would never lock you away, if only you would obey me…” He rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what’s got into you lately. But you are still my daffodil. And I still love you.”

 More quietness. But the Admiral hoped that Daniel was listening.

 “I will always love you…” he continued, leaning upon the door. “I have loved you as my ward…and now, I love you in every way possible. Once we are married, there will be no more of this. You will have an equal share in all I do. You may run this household as your own…” He sighed again. “I know you have been lonely, my dear. But you need never be lonely again, for you will have me to adore you always…”

 Nothing.

 “Daniel?” he called through the wood. “Are you still abed?” Finally, there being nothing else for it-he bent down, and squinted through the hole in the door.

 Daniel’s window was wide open. And his bedroom-his bedroom was empty.

 The Admiral blinked several times, ensuring that his eyes were not playing tricks on him. Then, beginning to feel the first strains of panic-he twisted the key in the door and barged in.

 Daniel was gone.

 As the full terror of the situation began to set in-the Admiral spotted a piece of paper on Daniel’s bedside cabinet, weighed down with his carriage clock. He rushed over, grabbed the note so quickly he tore it, and read:

* * *

 

  _Father,_

_By the time you read this, I will be long gone._

_All my life, I have been kept prisoner in this house like a bird in a cage. Though I am grateful to you for your love and protection, I cannot and will not live out my days here. I know that you acted out of love for me, but I cannot be ruled by that same fear when there is so much love in the world._

_When you proposed to me, I hope you understand that all trust built between us shattered. Against my will, I ceased to be your ward, and became instead your conquest. I feel as if you have raised me up to be your husband, and to live with you forever, and I will not. I need to take my place in the world. In case I have not made myself clear, I will never marry you. Instead, I have flown from this house forever with the man I love. _

_Leaving you is not easy, for you have been my whole life. Know that I do not hate you. I love you as any ward loves his father. I only hope that you will be able to forgive me in time._

_Daniel._

* * *

 

The Admiral read over the letter several times, in shock and disbelief, before the meaning finally set in...But this was _impossible_ … _how_ could Daniel have left him? _How_ could he have refused him? And, most of all… _how_ could he have left with a _man_?

 Now, beside the intense fear and concern for Daniel’s safety…fierce, fiery anger began to burn in the Admiral’s chest. How could he? How _dare_ he?

_I’ll find him. If I have to tear this town apart, I’ll find him…_


	11. Nestled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Thank you so so much for reading, and for all your comments and kudos! I really appreciate it :)
> 
> Sorry for the very short chapter today! I've been so busy. Enjoy a quick bit of fluff. Things will pick up the pace again tomorrow! xxx

The next few days passed in utter, unadulterated bliss. Never in his life had Daniel been so happy, nor did he believe that anyone ever had. Life with Philip was as different in every way possible from life with the Admiral-and more wonderful than he could have imagined.

 The first day had been rather overwhelming. Daniel was so unused to absolute freedom, and so scared of the Admiral finding them that he refused to set foot outside until the evening, when the cover of darkness had begun to set in. But the moment he did so, wrapped up warm and clutching Philip's hand-he was absolutely In his element. Within half an hour, he had bought a new bed for them, so big that it hardly fit into Philip’s room-but it was almost as deliciously comfortable as Daniel’s old bed in the Great House. Certainly it made sleeping much easier. Rather than selling the old bed, they had, upon Philip’s suggestion, gifted it to a family in Philip’s building, who had until then shared two beds between them, some of the children sleeping nightly on the floor. They had been more than grateful, and Daniel had experienced a high from their generosity that fulfilled him more than any amount of luxury and finery ever could.

 As for finding Daniel employment, a friend of Philip's at the bank had suggested a vacancy he knew of in a book shop, far from the Great House and out of the Admiral’s way. More nervous than he had ever been in his life, Daniel had shyly enquired within-and, after sharing his extensive knowledge of literature and love of reading, he had been hired almost instantly. It was with this happy news that Daniel waited for Philip to return from work, humming to himself as he cleaned their room. He made plenty of time to play with Sooty, who had adjusted quickly to her new home, lounging comfortably on the foot of their bed and scratching contentedly at the posts. She was every bit as happy as she had been in the Admiral's house-perhaps even happier. Things could not have been going more magnificently. 

 Best of all, however, were the nights they spent together. After all the years the Admiral had spent warning him of the ways that men would want to use him for pleasure, Daniel had been quite astonished to discover how much he _wanted_ Philip, and only Philip, to do just that. The _way_ he could make him feel…it was indescribable. The way he touched him, kissed him, did…other things…to him...Daniel quivered with excitement even to think about it. And, of course, as Philip led him, Daniel learned fast...

 “Hey!” called Philip as he let himself in, before kneeling down to stroke Sooty, who had trotted out to greet him with a loud, enthusiastic  _meow._ “And to you too, Soots! What a welcome!”

 “She's really growing to like you.” said Daniel, beaming to see the two beings he loved most in the world getting on so well. "It must be all the scraps you've been feeding her." 

 “I hope so.” chuckled Philip, before throwing down his heavy bag and kissing Daniel hello. “How did it go at the bookshop?”

 “Well…” said Daniel, pausing for dramatic effect-until, unable to hold back any longer, he burst out: “They offered me the job!”

 “ _Yes_!” Philip cheered, throwing his arms around him and squeezing him tightly. “I knew you could do it! You see-you don’t need the Admiral, or anyone else to manage-you can do brilliantly all by yourself! I’m so proud of you!”

 “Thank you,” said Daniel modestly, feeling his cheeks turning pink-but in truth, he was absolutely delighted with himself. “You are a darling.” He kissed him once more, idyllically happy, wondering how on earth his life had changed so drastically in only a few glorious, sunlit days… “It’s all because of you!”

 “Oh no,” said Philip firmly, sitting down beside him and pulling Sooty onto his lap. “It’s because of _you_. _You_ made the choice to leave the Great House, _you_ got that job all on your own. You need to start giving yourself a little more credit.” He chuckled softly. "All I did was bring the ladder." 

 “Oh, stop it, you were positively heroic." Daniel kissed his cheek adoringly. "I still have trouble believing all you did for me...But I know what you mean...I..." Suddenly-his face fell. "I'm just finding it difficult to get Father out of my head..." 

 Philip was quiet for a few moments. He reached out, and took Daniel's hand firmly in both of his own. "Sweetheart, are you alright?" 

 "Yes. And no...” Daniel sighed, leaning his head on Philip’s shoulder and scratching Sooty gently behind the ears. Basking in the attention, she stretched herself out between them, purring fit to burst. She was utterly oblivious to the fact that Daniel's tone had become tinged with bitter sadness. “With all these years of Father telling me I couldn’t possibly cope without him-it’s difficult to get out of that way of thinking...Whenever we're out and about, I keep swearing I see him. And, whenever I'm doing anything, even something as simple as making the bed, or a cup of tea, I keep accidentally wondering what he'd think, whether he'd approve of the way I did it...It's like he's always in the back of my mind, wanting to worm his way into every part of my life, wanting to control me still...” He bit his lip, crestfallen. "I'm sorry. I'm so happy with you, really I am. It's just hard..." 

 Philip kissed his curls hard, shaking his head. It affected him terribly when Daniel was unhappy. "Don't apologise. He manipulated you for far too long. _Anyone_ would react the same way. But, darling, you can forget all about him now, all about everything he did or said to you. I know, I know, it’s not quite as easy as all that...but you needn’t be ruled by him anymore. There is no way you can let him carry on ruining your life. He's in the past now. You're so much stronger than he ever thought you were. You're so much more than him. You’re _free_.”

 In spite of himself, Daniel found himself giggling, his heart glowing. “I can’t hear those words enough…” He snuggled closer in, burying his face in Philip’s chest. “Oh Philip, how is it that you always make me feel like everything is going to be fine? I feel I am so safe with you. It is as if nothing could possibly go wrong, as long as you are by my side."

 "I'm magic." said Philip lightly, sending himself up. But he brought Daniel's hand to his lips and kissed it. "Everything _is_ going to be alright. I have you, and you have me. That's just how it is now, and how it always will be. Us...and Sooty."

 "Yes," Daniel agreed, smiling up at him with the softest eyes. "Us three..."


	12. Knocked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for the lateness of the hour-I promise to post at a more reasonable time tomorrow! Thank you so much for reading, and for all your comments and kudos! You guys are seriously the best! <3 I hope you enjoy this! xxx

 As Philip entered the bookshop, a little bell tinkled above his head, announcing his arrival. Instantly, he was hit with the delightful dusty paper smell of books, which warmed his heart on the chilly autumn afternoon. Although his literacy was somewhat limited, Philip adored books-the look of them, the feel of them, and especially the smell. That was to say nothing of the stories within. He had spent the last two nights with Daniel sitting between his legs in bed, leaning back against him and reading aloud to him from the most incredible tales…it was sheer, unadulterated bliss.

 “I’ll be right with you!” called that same voice from the back of the shop. Philip smiled to himself, leaning against the counter. He heard the sound of paper rustling, of books being shut-and then of coughing. Finally, Daniel himself appeared, carrying a stack of old newspapers. “Hello! How can I help-oh!” He giggled in delighted surprise when he realised who it was. “What are you doing here?”

 “Now there’s a welcome.” said Philip, pretending to be annoyed-but he grinned. He held out a little brown paper bag. “I had a visitation in the next street over, so I thought I’d come and see you. Here-I brought you some lunch.”

 “Oh!” Daniel set the newspapers down on the counter, and took the bag, opening it to breathe in the hot, buttery smell. “Muffins! Thank you so much, darling. You are so thoughtful.” He leaned over the till and kissed him gratefully.

 “Well, you’ve been here a week now, I thought it was about time I dropped in.” Philip said, expecting Daniel to start eating right away, such was his love for toasted muffins, and food in general. However, to Philip’s surprise, he merely set the bag down, rubbing his eyes as he did so. This was a complete oddity-utterly out of character for Daniel. It was then that Philip noticed the faint purple bags blossoming beneath those eyes, as if he had not slept the night before.

 “It is wonderful to see you,” Daniel was saying, looking at Philip adoringly-if a little strangely. “I hope everything is going well at the bank with-“ Suddenly, his voice broke off, and he ducked his head, burying his nose and mouth in his handkerchief as he descended into a coughing fit. 

 “Daniel?” Philip was becoming more concerned by the moment. “Are you quite alright?”

 “Oh yes!” said Daniel determinedly, straightening up and putting his handkerchief away as his eyes watered. “Completely! I just…I just woke up with a slight tickle, that’s all. I hope I don’t give it to you!”

 “Hmm…” Philip was not convinced. “I hope you’re not coming down with something…”

 “Me too!” said Daniel emphatically. “I’ll be fine, I’m sure of it. I am never ill!”

* * *

 But Daniel _was_ ill. Very ill. Perhaps living in the Great House all his life, his contact with the outside world limited, had made him more susceptible to bad air and diseases. Perhaps he was simply unlucky. Either way, when he awoke the following morning, it was to aching joints and a pounding headache. Thrice at work, he had to run into the back room to vomit into a bucket. Then, he began to experience spells of dizziness, flushing hot and cold as he clung to the counter for support. By the forth day, he could hardly stand up straight.

 “There is no way you are going into work today.” said Philip firmly, dabbing his burning forehead tenderly with a wet rag and plumping up his pillows. He had nursed Daniel devotedly all week, growing more worried by the hour. “I shall go by on the way to the bank and explain. You need to get your strength back. Here…” Like a parent to a child, he held a mug of sugared water to Daniel’s lips. Very weakly, he managed to take a few sips-but it was difficult. His throat seemed to have closed up overnight. For all the world, it felt as if there was a great rock sitting upon his chest, making even breathing difficult, let alone swallowing…

 “There now…” Philip kissed his hair, stroking his damp curls and sighing worriedly. “Oh Daniel, I hate to see you like this…it hurts my heart so…”

 Daniel could hardly speak-but he reached out and grabbed Philip’s hand. Desperately, he tried to communicate with only his eyes- _don’t leave me_. He had never felt so terrible in all his life…the thought of lying here alone all day, as the walls spun nauseatingly around him, was too awful to contemplate.

 “I’ll come home at lunchtime to check on you,” Philip promised, squeezing his hand tightly. He gestured to the little tray of bread and milk he had placed beside him. “You must try to eat something, darling. You’re wasting away…”

 The thought of eating made Daniel want to vomit all over again-and he had done enough of that to last a lifetime. Instead, he leaned back into the pillows, closing his eyes. Perhaps, finally, he might be able to sleep…

 “That’s it, you get some rest,” He felt Philip kiss his forehead. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

 After he heard the door slam shut-Daniel let out a long groan of pain and wretchedness. At his feet, Sooty stirred worriedly, blinking up at him with her bright, shining eyes. But all Daniel could do was pray for sleep to come, to give him a few hours respite from this terrible sickness…

* * *

 Philip was half mad with worry for Daniel. To see him suffering so miserably, and to be able to do so little to relieve him, was torture. Worse still was watching him growing weak-Daniel had no stomach at all, and already those sweet, soft, dimpled cheeks were beginning to grow gaunt with illness. But to crown it all-Philip had watched his colleague Mitchell waste away and die of the dreaded influenza only a month before. Every time he thought of Mitchell, in whose chair he now sat, cold fingers of fear closed around his heart…

 Philip shook his head slightly, trying desperately to pull himself together as he looked over paperwork at his desk- _Mitchell’s_ old desk. Of course Daniel did not have the dreaded influenza, or anything worse than that. It was only a fever, and fevers broke and passed. He certainly wasn’t going to…Philip could not even bear to think of “Daniel” and “dying” in the same sentence.

 Perhaps Daniel needed a doctor. But once more, Philip’s thoughts were preoccupied by Mitchell. He had been to the funeral, watched poor Mitch’s body being lowered into the earth…and he had listened to Mitchell’s father rant and rave on about how it had been calling a doctor in that had been the end of his son. He had sworn that Mitchell would have pulled through had he not called a doctor…had he not unleashed his quackery upon the dying patient…

 Physically shaking with worry, Philip collected the papers into a neat pile, and carried them out into the corridor, before knocking respectfully upon the senior partner’s door.

 “Mr. Carey!” he called. “The documents, as you requested!”

 “Ah yes!” came the voice of Philip’s superior. “Come in!”

 Philip entered Carey’s sizable office, which was filled with fine oak-panelling, a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The man himself, a portly gentleman with a monocle and an enormous moustache, was sitting as usual behind his desk, signing something with an outlandishly large feather plume. Sitting opposite him, in an equally showy red velvet armchair, was a client, with whom Carey was dealing. Uninterested in him, whoever he was, Philip simply strode quickly to the banker and presented the documents.

 “Yes, Lester, just put them on the end of the table there. I shall see to them once I am finished with the Lord Admiral here.”

 Philip’s heart turned to ice.

 Of course, the client in the armchair was a vast man in full military uniform. And, less than a second later-those cold, grey eyes clapped straight onto Philip. After a moment of staring narrowly at him-the penny dropped.

 “ _You_!”

 Admiral Malock leapt to his feet, his face flushing red with fury. He looked like an angered bull. Philip backed away from him so quickly that he crashed straight into a glass cabinet behind him, almost knocking it over.

 “You’re the bastard who lusts for my ward!”

 “ _Lester_!” Mr. Carey was pinned to the back of his seat as he stared in shock at the behaviour of his most esteemed client. “What is the meaning of this?”

 “I-“ Philip began, unsure exactly as to what he would say next. But the Admiral saved him the trouble. The next thing Philip knew-he was pinned to by his throat to the glass.

 “ _Do you know where he is_?” the Admiral barked, so close to Philip’s face that he was sprayed with spit.

 “My Lord Admiral!” Mr. Carey had got to his feet, beginning rather gingerly to approach them, though it could not be clearer that he did not want to get involved. “I mean no disrespect, but I must ask you not to manhandle my staff!”

 “ _Do you know_?” the Admiral shouted, deaf to all else. He tightened his grip on Philip’s throat, almost totally restricting his airway. Meanwhile-Mr. Carey, deciding that the situation was beyond his control-fled the office to fetch help. " _Have you stolen him from me_?" 

 There was no way Philip could possibly speak. Instead-he simply shook his head. 

 “ _Lies_.” the Admiral hissed, looking down at Philip as if he were no better than a piece of dog muck on his boot. Then-he paused, truly taking in what he was accusing him of, as Philip’s heart pounded in his chest. “Though perhaps not. _Daniel_ , the silly creature, claims to _love_ the man who has taken him! How my Daniel could ever look at a drudge like you is beyond me! But…" Jealously clouded his face. "You would _like_ him to look at you, would you not?” With that, he shoved Philip forcibly into the glass, so hard that it began to crack. “Would you not, you filthy cretin? Gaping up with your base, decrepit eyes at the Admiral’s ward? I told you that if I ever saw you again, I would make you wish you were never born, boy!”

 Slowly, but surely…fire began to fill Philip’s veins. As he looked up at this disgusting man, who had almost ruined Daniel’s life…suddenly, he could not contain himself. Like a volcano, his rage spilled out of his mouth.

 “Daniel is _free_.” he hissed back, in a voice he scarcely recognised as his own, one that was filled with pure repulse and loathing. “He is no longer yours to abuse. You will _never_ hurt him again!”

 The Admiral paused for a long moment, shocked into silence by Philip’s outburst. Then…his face turned positively purple. With a deafening roar that was not quite human-the Admiral knocked Philip to the ground, all the wind leaving him as his back was smashed against the floorboards. " _You HAVE taken him_!" Locking him firmly between his legs, the Admiral raised an enormous fist in the air-before bringing it down hard upon Philip’s face. " _I'LL KILL YOU_! _I'LL KILL YOU_!"

 Philip was so dazed by the impact that the pain did not come for a few seconds. It was only when the door of Carey’s office burst open, three aides running in and prizing the Admiral off of him, that Philip felt a huge bruise beginning to form around his eye. He would have a terrific black shiner…and yet, as he lay, half-stunned, on the floor, he could not help but feel pride. He had struck one for Daniel against the terrible Admiral…

 “ _He has my ward_!” the Admiral himself shouted, from somewhere far in the distance, as he was escorted from the building. “ _That street-rat has my ward_!”


	13. Oblivion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for reading this, and for all your comments and kudos! I appreciate you all so much <3 I hope you continue to read on. More tomorrow! Much love xxx

 “Daniel?” Philip called softly, opening the door as quietly as possible. He did not want to disturb Daniel if he was sleeping, and he hoped with all his heart that he was, to give him respite and regain his strength. However, he found Daniel lying in the centre of the bed, Sooty dozing by his feet, his eyes wide open and staring straight up at the ceiling. His skin was positively green, his nose red, his cheeks sallow. Philip had rarely seen anybody look so wretched, and his heart ached with love and pity. “Oh, sweetheart…” he sighed, sitting down beside him and taking his hand. He wanted desperately to wrap his arms around him, but Daniel’s skin felt so hot to the touch that he did not dare, for fear of his temperature rising even further.

 Daniel himself could only give a small, weak groan. Feebly, he squeezed Philip’s fingers.

 “I’m so sorry, darling…” Philip murmured, bending down to kiss his warm forehead. “I wish with all my soul I could take all your pain away…” But all he could do was to help Daniel take some small sips of water, and press a cool rag to his face. “Guess who I met at the bank today?” he said, trying to chat to him as if everything was normal. “Your father.”

 Now, Daniel’s eyes snapped to Philip’s-and he properly took in his appearance. With one frail hand, he reached up and touched the purple bruise that had sprung up like a dark poppy around Philip’s eye.

 “Yeah,” Philip raised an eyebrow. “He was delighted to see me, as is evident.”

 Still, Daniel fingered his bruise, looking concerned despite his illness. He was so sweet to worry so about Philip in his predicament-but Philip was having none of it. “Save your strength,” he said firmly, taking Daniel’s hand and kissing it, before lying it gently on his poor, wheezy chest. “I’m fine. They pulled him off me before any real damage could be done. And hey,” He managed a small grin. “I gave him what for from you first.”

 Daniel gave the merest hint of a smile-but he squeezed Philip’s hand once more. “ _Don’t_ …” he gasped out. “… _antagonise…him_ …”

 “Oh, don’t worry about that,” said Philip blithely. “Don’t worry about anything at all, apart from getting better…” He paused for a second, helping Daniel take another sip of water. “Actually, he _did_ say something rather interesting…”

 Daniel blinked, wide-eyed, up at him.

 Philip smiled properly. “He said that you’d told him that you love me.”

 Daniel took a deep, shuddering breath, his eyes growing rather misty…then, he managed to smile back. “ _Of…course_ …”

 Despite everything, Philip’s heart glowed. He had known, of course, without ever needing to say the words…but to hear them was magical… “As is _definitely_ evident…” he began, chuckling softly. “I love you, Daniel. I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you, sitting up in your window like a lark in a birdcage…” He bent down, and kissed Daniel as a prince would kiss a sleeping princess. “And I’ll love you always…”

 “ _I…love…you_ …” Daniel whispered with the last of his strength, his eyes shining. Then, exhausted, his eyelids fluttered shut, and he finally fell asleep.

* * *

 The hours of the night blurred together into one endless, relentless whirlwind of sickness. Daniel’s fever rose and rose, his body quivering, his eyes gazing up blindly at the ceiling without the slightest bit of recognition. He could not even keep down water, but was so weak that he could scarcely lift his head to vomit into the bucket beside the bed. Slowly, he was wasting away-not only in body, but in mind. In the height of his delirium, he did not know himself, and he certainly did not know Philip. Those beautiful dark eyes he loved with all his heart regarded him as they would a stranger…

 Philip was horrified-and terrified. He did not for the life of him know what to do. Daniel needed a doctor, he knew that much-but to whom would he take him at this time of night? And how could he take him anywhere? It was not as if he could simply call up a coach. He considered running to fetch someone-but he did not dare leave Daniel alone even for a few minutes, lest he choke upon his own phlegm and suffocate. What could he do?

 “Oh Daniel…” he whispered, gripping his poor pale hand tightly in both of his own as he shook. “Hold on… _please_ hold on…”

 Outside the narrow window, the sky was inky black, and so strewn with cloud that not a single star was visible, and even the moon was hidden away in darkness. It was the definition of the dead of night…all Philip could do was pray with all his might that Daniel, somehow, would pull through. And yet, as the minutes ticked by-he seemed to grow worse and worse. It was his breathing that scared Philip most of all-the way he gasped each breath as if a rock was sitting upon his chest. It seemed to grow more and more difficult by the moment…Philip prayed harder than anyone had ever prayed that he did not give it up…

 Suddenly, as if God himself had answered-there was an enormous _boom_.

 Philip jumped a mile, brought abruptly out of his own mind by the sound. Someone-or something-had just crashed against the front door.

 Already rushed with adrenaline-Philip was rightfully wary. This was not the safest place to live in the world, and huge crashes during the night never meant something good. Especially against one’s own door.

  _Boom_. One more, the entire room seemed to vibrate with the impact. Then-

  _BOOM_.

 The door fell open.

 There, like a spectre rising from hell itself, in the blackness of the doorframe…a vast man in military attire.

 Philip’s heart turned to ice.

 “ _Ah_!” came the terrible rumbling roar. Slowly, his boots thudding upon the floorboards, the spectre entered the room. “The work of a single night to find _Mr. Philip Lester_ in this town…” He spat the name as if it were poison. “It is easy enough to acquire access to records when one is an Admiral!”

 A second later, through the first wave of shock-Philip came to his senses. Then-he leapt to his feet. “ _Get out!”_ he shouted, flying Malock and trying in vain to force him back through the door. " _For God's sake, leave him alone_!" But the man was built like a wall himself. He was utterly immovable, and he shook Philip off as easily as a horsefly.

 “Where is Daniel?” he demanded, looking about the room in disgust. “How could you keep him in a place like this? You really are a street rat!”

 Finally-his eyes fell upon Daniel, lying like a statue in the bed. “Ah! _There_ you are, daffodil! You have led me quite the merry dance!” He approached the bed, despite Philip’s best efforts to stop him. “But it’s over. Get up right now, Daniel, I’m taking you away from this dump and- _oh God_!”

 He gasped as he took in Daniel’s green skin, his sightless eyes, his laboured breathing…then-he turned on Philip. Grabbing him once more by the throat, he shoved him into the wall, almost throttling him. “ _What have you done to him_?” He bashed him against the plaster so hard that it began to flake. “ _What have you done_?”

 Philip tried to shout back, to prize his hands from his throat to fight him, somehow, whatever it took, out of the door-but the Admiral was simply too strong.

 “ _It is living in a pigsty like this_!” he screamed in Philip’s face. “ _That’s what’s done it! Bad air, bad places, and filthy dogs like you_! _You have near killed him_!”

 Although Philip tried to tell himself that this was not true-Daniel could have picked up the illness anywhere…coldness closed in around him. Oh God…what if this _was_ his fault?

 “ _No more_!” the Admiral thundered. “ _I am taking him back where he belongs, away from this filth and sin!”_

 Philip summoned the very last of his strength, and fought back as hard as he could, desperate, frantic, determined…but it was no use.

 _Boom_. With one single punch-the Admiral floored him. Philip’s head bounced off the floorboards…and he began, despite struggling back with everything he had, to lose consciousness…

 Through his blurred, darkening vision, Philip watched helplessly as the Admiral picked up Daniel like a child, slung him over his back, and ran with him from the room…with a yowl, Sooty leapt from the bed and followed her master out into the night…then, hating himself like nothing else in the world...Philip slipped into nothingness…

 As he sank into oblivion, there was one clear thought in his mind. He had promised Daniel that nothing would ever hurt him again. He had promised him that the Admiral was gone for good. But he had let him go, back into the clutches of his evil guardian…Philip was the worst person who had ever lived. There was only one certainty now… _if Daniel dies…it is my fault_ …


	14. Seagull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Thank you endlessly for reading, and for all your comments and kudos! I really, really appreciate it. I won't keep you a moment longer! More tomorrow xxx
> 
> (sorry for posting so late at night!)

 By the time Philip came around, Daniel had long since been swept away. Though the room was tiny and cramped, it felt vast in his absence, and indeed in the absence of Sooty. Philip’s head ached so badly that he felt sick-but, gritting his teeth, he struggled to his feet. He knew that there was not a second to lose. In less than a minute, he had pulled on his shoes and coat and hurtled down the stairs. He skidded out of the front door and began to sprint down the road, heading for the Great House at breakneck pace.

 All the while, terrible images flashed through Philip’s head. Daniel’s poor, green face…the Admiral appearing in the doorway…the sight of him carrying Daniel over his shoulder like a sack right out of the room, and out of Philip’s protection…not that he had been able to protect him at all. _It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault…_ Philip gasped for breath in the frigid night air, running as fast as he could.

 Around ten minutes later, Philip finally reached the High Street. He could smell the sea air thick in his nostrils. A sort of mist had formed about the road, a thin layer slightly obstructing his view as he stumbled towards the Great House, panting. Though it was dark, with even the streetlamps extinguished-every window in the Admiral’s house was alight.

 Philip’s heart sank.

 But there was nothing else for it. He had to get to Daniel, somehow, anyhow. There was nothing he would not do.

 Philip marched right up to the front door, as he had done dozens of times before-though never quite in these circumstances-and knocked hard. He could see his breath in front of his face as he waited anxiously for an answer.

 A few moments later-which felt like a hundred years-finally, someone answered. It was an aide-a youngster with a head of blond hair. “Hello-oh!” The lad looked astonished to see Philip. “It’s you! I thought you were the doctor!”

 Philip steeled himself. “I’m sorry.” he murmured, feeling bad for the aide, who was of course guiltless-before he made a bolt for the door.

 “Agh!” The aide gave a small scream, staring at Philip as if he were some kind of monster-but his reflexes were quick. He pulled the door shut just in time-and Philip came crashing into the wood. Undeterred, once more, he began to bang on he door.

 “MALOCK!” he yelled at his enemy, his voice echoing all over the street. “MALOCK! LET ME SEE HIM!”

 He carried on in his manner, shouting himself horse and banging against the door until his knuckles began to blister. No one came to the door again-but after around a quarter of an hour, Philip heard the sound of horses’ hooves on the road behind him. He spun around to see a black carriage approaching, led by a pair of beautiful chestnut mares. The moment it had pulled up outside the Great House-the doors were thrown open, and a small man with dark hair, carrying a briefcase and dressed in a suit-though he looked in every other way as if he had just tumbled from his bed-climbed down onto the pavement.

 Completely ignoring Philip, the man bustled to the front door and gave a short, sharp knock. Instantly, as if he had been waiting behind it-the aide answered. Quickly calculating, Philip drew backward, watching and waiting while the doctor-for who else could it be?-was admitted. Then, once more-he bolted.

 But again, the aide was too quickly for him. Philip crashed into the wood of the door, feeling bruises beginning to bloom on his arms. He gritted his teeth against the pain, his breath forming in clouds in front of his face…before he ran down into the middle of the street as the carriage pulled away, and threw his head back.

 “MALOCK!” he cried, his throat rasping with exhaustion. “I’M STILL HERE! I SHALL WAIT HERE ALL NIGHT IF I HAVE TO! DANIEL-IF YOU CAN HEAR ME-I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! YOU HAVE TO HOLD ON!”

 He coughed slightly, half-delirious with tiredness and aching. But still-he knew what he had to do. With complete and utter resolution, he ran back to the steps of the Great House and sat down on the cold stone. He wrapped himself up as warm as possible against the knifing sea wind, and settled himself down to wait. It was to be the longest night of his life…

* * *

 The first light of dawn began to crack through the heavy cloud, plunging the mist upon the street into a strange pink haze. In the distance, the sound of an early ship leaving the harbour could be heard. Above its mast, seagulls circled, screeching at the weak morning sun.

 Still, his eyes irritated, his head pounding…Philip sat. Waiting.

 Then, at long last-the front door to the Great House opened once again. This time, briefcase still in hand-the tired-looking doctor sloped down the stairs, tucking a heavy-looking purse into his pocket. His expression was impossible to read.

 “Many thanks once more, Doctor…” came the familiar, low, rumbling tone from the doorway.

 At this, as if Philip had just been struck by lightning-he leapt to his feet and ran up the stairs.

 “ _Malock_!” he tried to shout-but his voice was all but gone. Instead-all that escaped his lips was a scratchy whisper.

 Still-the Admiral looked down to him. His cold, grey eyes looked exhausted…and, horribly, damp.

 Philip’s heart turned to ice.

 “ _Where is he_?” he choked out. He found he no longer cared about the Admiral, or his immorality-he did not care about anything at all, except his Daniel. “ _Is he alright? Tell me! For God’s sake, I beg you!”_

 Admiral Malock was quiet for a long moment. Still, he regarded Philip as one would a piece of dung. And yet…there was something else behind those eyes.

 Then…in a voice like the tolling of a bell…

 “Daniel is dead.”

 Far in the distance, a seagull cried.

 After that-Philip remembered nothing.

 All was darkness.

* * *

 Admiral Malock made his way slowly through the silent house. He clutched the bannister for support as he climbed the stairs, suddenly feeling ancient. He was much too old for this…much too old for all of this…

 Finally, he reached Daniel’s bedroom. Taking a deep breath-he pushed the door open.

 There Daniel lay in the centre of his bed. His skin was waxy, and deathly pale, as he lay on his pillows like a statue. At his feet, that wretched cat of his stood vigil over her master. He looked so peaceful, so still, at perfect rest.

 The Admiral approached his ward, sitting down on the bed beside him, sinking down into the soft mattress. He reached out, and took Daniel’s hand in both of his own, feeling the youthful softness on his own wrinkled, rough skin. He felt so smooth, like a porcelain doll…and _warm_.

 With a shuddering, thin, gasping breath, Daniel’s chest rose and fell in gentle rhythm.

 The Admiral smiled, waves of relief coursing through his body. _Thank God._ Thank God his fever had broken. Whatever the doctor had done for him had worked. He had promised that, with warmth, care, and rest, Daniel would make a full recovery in time…Malock had paid the man handsomely for his time, and a little extra on top for saving his beloved…before showing him to the door.

 It was a terrible pity that disgusting sewer-rat of Daniel’s had been so bloody steadfast, daring to darken his door until dawn. If he had only stayed away, and crawled back to the gutter where he belonged, there would have been no need for such dramatics. Still…hopefully the boy was taken care of now. With any luck-the Admiral would never have to set eyes upon him again…and neither would Daniel.

 “There, there…” the Admiral whispered, bending to kiss Daniel’s poor, gaunt cheek. “You’re home now, my daffodil…and home is where you will stay…” He _did_ look so terribly thin. Whatever was it that the poor ate? He would need lots of feeding up, lots of love and care. And Malock would give it to him, in abundance…

 Of course, Daniel would have to atone for his actions when he had his strength back…but for now, he would sleep.

 “There, there…” the Admiral murmured again, patting his greasy curls. “You’re back where you belong…you’re with me…and you will never leave me again…”


	15. Walls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you endlessly for reading, and for all your comments and kudos! I really appreciate it, and you <3 next chapter up tomorrow! I hope you enjoy this one xxx

 There was a strange, colourful blur above Daniel’s head. It was navy blue, soft and warm, hanging right above him…if he hadn’t known better, he would have sworn it was his old bed, back in the Great House. Of course, it couldn’t be; it must have been the fever…although, Daniel noticed, as he slowly came to his senses…he was feeling better. Quite a bit better…

 With some effort, he managed to properly open his eyes. The blur cleared…and came into sharp focus. Indeed, it was the canopy above his old bed. But how could this be? He must still be dreaming…where was Philip?

 Daniel blinked hard, repeatedly, growing more desperate by the moment-and yet, the room did not suddenly morph into Philip’s home. Instead, it stayed resolutely, stubbornly, the highest bedroom in the Great House.

 Somehow, horribly…Daniel was back in own private prison.

 “Ah!” came a voice from his windowseat. A low, rumbling voice.

 Daniel had never been more confused, nor more frightened, in his life.

 “At last!” the Admiral boomed, walking purposefully towards him and sitting down beside him on the bed. “I was beginning to think you’d never wake up.”

 Daniel was shell-shocked. He tried to move, to get as far away from the Admiral as he could-but he was so weak that the blankets over him felt as if they weighed a tonne.

 “Lie still,” said the Admiral, his tone like syrup as he tucked Daniel in once more. “You’ve been to hell and back.”

  _I’m in hell now_ , Daniel thought. Finally, he managed to find his tongue. “ _H-how_?” he whispered, his voice as thin as gossamer from his poor, feeble chest.

 “I would _never_ have let you stay in that horrible little shack,” the Admiral explained, petting his curls. “If I hadn’t arrived when I did, I’m prepared to bet God would have taken you before dawn, and no mistake…” He buried his fingers in Daniel’s hair for a moment, as if this was a source of great distress to him. “But you are home now, daffodil, and that’s what matters.”

 Daniel’s heart began to race in his chest. “ _Philip_?” he gasped out. “ _Where is Philip_?”

 “Never mind about him,” said the Admiral shortly. “You needn’t ever see him again, dear, I promise. He’s long gone-back into the sewers, where his kind belong…” His voice became very dark, his eyes stone cold. “Mark my words-he is never coming back.”

 “ _No_ …” Daniel breathed. He felt nothing but terror and grief-what had the Admiral done to him?-but his faith in Philip was strong. “ _No…he’d never…”_

 But the Admiral behaved as if he hadn’t spoken. “Now, dear, you _must_ see why I kept you in here all these years? You are in the outside world for only a few weeks, and then it almost killed you…” He sighed and tutted over Daniel as if he was a child. “You would have been stone dead in that disgusting hovel, had _I_ not taken you home and fetched the doctor.” There was a note of pride in his voice-but, additionally, there seemed to be earnestness. He was acutely keen for Daniel to know that _he_ had been the one who had saved him, that without him, Daniel could not possibly survive…

 “You understand, of course, that your running away was a _grievous_ wrong,” the Admiral continued, his hand pressed to Daniel’s forehead. “You have been punished for your sin with this dreadful sickness…but you have been reprieved. And I, of course, welcome you back with open arms…”

 Long ago, Daniel may have been fooled. But he was not so easily persuaded any more. Now that Philip had taught him the proper way to love; unconditionally, with honesty and support-he knew that the Admiral’s feelings towards him were obsession and possessiveness, nothing more. The Admiral was trying to manipulate him again. Sick feelings stirred in Daniel’s belly…but he would not let Malock get the better of him. He visualised putting up a wall between himself and his old guardian. _No_. He would never brainwash him into submission again.

 Daniel took a deep breath, and steadily held the Admiral’s gaze, emotionless, unflinching. He would not give him the satisfaction.

 “Now, you needn’t worry about your reputation,” the Admiral was saying, patting Daniel’s head. “I shall ensure the whole rotten business is covered up. Our repute need not be sullied…and, provided you did not permit the boy to _touch_ you…” Here, he gave a loaded pause. “…our betrothal need not be spoiled.”

 Deep inside Daniel, there were fireworks of jubilation. _Ah_. It was all he could do not to smile. _What_ the Admiral would have to say if he knew...he would keep this secret for now.

 “ _Good_.” said the Admiral, misunderstanding his silence. “I prayed he would keep his filthy hands to himself. You are unspoiled. Thank heavens for that.”

 Daniel fought to keep his face straight as he thought of all the wonderful ways he had indeed been "spoiled"…but he kept his stare blank, his lips silent.

 “For now, however, you need plenty of rest and relaxation.” the Admiral said, stroking Daniel’s hair a final time and getting to his feet. “I shall have soup brought to you presently…” He stopped, and took one last, long look at him. “I am glad you are home, daffodil. We can survive this yet.”

 Daniel had meant to keep his peace. However-suddenly, horribly-he realised that something was wrong. There was a coldness, an emptiness in his bed. Something…or someone…was missing.

 “ _Where…is…Sooty_?”

 The Admiral said nothing for a moment. Then…his mouth stretched into a terrible smile.

 “Until you can learn your lesson, and promise never to run from me again… _I_ shall be looking after her for the time being…” He paused. “So think upon the health of your beloved little cat, before you cross me again…”  

 On that horrendous note-he swept from the room.


	16. Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you endlessly for reading, and for all your comments and kudos! I appreciate every single one of you so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter! More tomorrow <3 xxx

 Philip had been sitting on the beach since dawn.

 It had been a frigid, misty morning, the fog so thick that the horizon had been practically invisible. But now the afternoon was drawing in, the air had cleared, and once more, the grey-blue waves were vivid all the way out to sea. Seagulls circled the fishing boats as they came into harbour, stretching their wings and squealing up at the weak autumn sun. A father and two children in a small boat rowed leisurely along the coast, while their dog paddled happily behind. On the stony shore, a woman stood alone, skipping rocks into the sea.

 Philip watched all these comings and goings with sightless eyes, listless upon the beach like a shipwreck. None of it was any consequence to him. Nothing was of consequence to him anymore.

 He did not remember exactly when he had stopped crying. Once the initial shock and disbelief had worn off, flood had seemed to flow seamlessly into flood, as he grieved bitterly enough to fill the ocean all over again. But now…it was as though he had no tears left in him. He sat, dry-eyed and motionless, just behind the wooden staircase which led down onto the sand. Exactly the spot where he and Daniel had first talked, first cuddled close, first kissed…

 What was he to do? There was no protocol, no distinct set of instructions, no custom. What one Earth was one’s course of action when the love of one’s life dies? Even worse…when the blame for the tragedy lay at one’s own door…

 Daniel was dead. Those dear pale hands would be cold, those perfect lips would speak nor laugh no more, those beautiful brown eyes would be closed forever…how was it that the world could still be turning? How could the tide wash in and out as if nothing had happened?

 Philip felt like a murderer. He had as good as killed him. How could he possibly live with himself?

 He sat still, his knees hugged to his chest, his eyes closed. In silence, he relieved every moment of their all-too-brief time together…the first time he had seen him at the window…skipping rocks with him on this very beach…lying in bed together talking of everything and nothing…every laugh, every smile, every kiss…

 Meanwhile, the wind grew sharper. The air grew ever more unbearably bitter. Whilst all others from the beach disappeared, hurrying home for warmth as the weather became unbearable...Philip sat on, past knowing, past caring. Slowly, he began to grow dangerously cold…

* * *

 Bracing himself, Daniel pushed open the door to his bedroom.

 His bare feet sank into the soft crimson carpet as he crept along the oak-panelled hallway. He did not come across a single soul as he went. After having not moved for so long, his legs felt brittle, his breath short from his weak chest. But he gritted his teeth in determination, clutching the walls for support as he made his way out onto the landing above the staircase.

 This-this was the last straw. The Admiral could lock him away. He could manipulate him and puppet him. He could do whatever he wanted. But there were two people in Daniel’s life he would never let the Admiral touch. However he had got Daniel away from Philip was a mystery, and Daniel was terrified for what he might have done to him. Had he hurt him? Or worse…Daniel could not bear to think of it.

 Then…there was Sooty. His constant companion, who had kept him sane through so many lonely hours…if the Admiral laid a finger on her, Daniel did not know what he would do. In other words…if the Admiral had harmed a single hair on either Philip or Sooty’s heads…how could Daniel take it lying down? He was incapable. And so, summoning all of his strength, he set off in the direction of the Admiral’s quarters. His heart was racing…but his face was set.

 Footsteps. Heavy, plodding footsteps.

 Daniel froze.

 “I thought I heard you out of bed…” came the voice of the Admiral-before the man himself emerged on the landing, looking exactly as he had done the last time Daniel had seen him. He regarded him with eyes that were both concerned, and suspicious. It was clear that he had been listening to ensure that Daniel did not escape again. “You need to rest, daffodil. Get back to your room.” His tone was absolute.

 But Daniel, with fear in his heart, stood his ground.

 “What happened to Philip?”

 The Admiral paused for a second, behaving as if he did not know to whom Daniel was referring. Then, with a falsely kind smile, he spoke. “That terrible boy is gone for good. He never truly cared about you-not the way _I_ do. Once your health took a turn for the worse, he was more than happy to be unburdened of you.” He took a step closer to Daniel, who backed right into the bannister of the stairs. “I know you believe you loved him, but he was only using you, the way that I warned you men would. Forget him, daffodil. Forget all about him.”

 Daniel rebuilt the imaginary wall between himself and the Admiral. His faith in Philip was absolute-the Admiral was lying, and he was not even bothering to lie well. As always, he treated Daniel as if he was a child.

 “That’s not true,” Daniel said, his voice steady and sure. “Not a bit of it. What did you do to Philip?”

 If the Admiral was shocked by Daniel’s answering back-for the first time in his life-he did not show it. Except, perhaps, for a slight flaring of the nostrils. But when he continued, his voice was as smooth as milk. “You are delusional, you poor dear. Your mind is addled by sickness.” He reached out a hand towards Daniel, in a pantomime of care. “Please, Daniel, let me take you back to bed-“

 “I am neither delusional, nor addled.” Daniel shot back, standing strong. “And if you ever touch me again, I shall vomit.”

 At this, the Admiral showed the first signs of dismay. However, he remained very calm, determined to retain control of Daniel. “This fantasy runs deeper than I thought. I swear I will get you the help you need, to bring you back into reality. You will come to realise that your “love” for the gutter boy was only a projection of your _true_ feelings for _me_ …”

 At this-Daniel physically heaved. He could not believe the words that were pouring from his old guardian’s mouth. How could he say such things, even think such things? It was completely unthinkable…but Daniel was immune to his manipulation now.

 “…running away as you did, just after we had became betrothed…” Now, the Admiral made small, sympathetic noises, his eyes shining. “Your poor reaction to such life-altering news is completely comprehensible. But no matter. I am unoffended, my dear. I understand you like no one else does. I promise, once we are married, everything will be alright. Your mind will be your own once more.” He smiled broadly, like a smug toad. “And you shall be my sweet daffodil once again…”

 Feeling sicker than ever, Daniel folded his arms protectively around himself. Every atom of his being wanted to run. But still-he met the Admiral’s gaze. “I am _not_ your sweet daffodil. I am my own person, and you will not puppet me any longer.” He paused for a second, his heart practically in his throat. “I told you before, and I shall tell you again. I will _never_ marry you. I do not love you. In fact-I do believe I _despise_ you.” He breathed heavily, blood rushing to his head. “I have called you “father” all these years, and yet you have never been a father to me. You have locked me away like a bird in a cage, and called it love. Well, I know now that love is the opposite of all you have done! You will pour your poison in my ears no more, for I am _free_.”

 Silence fell.

 Daniel waited, panting. He clutched the bannister feebly for support…but, inside, he felt _powerful_. More so than he had ever felt in his life.

 Slowly, the Admiral’s face turned a delicate shade of purple.

 Now, Daniel knew it was time to play his final card.

 “And as for our _marriage_ , to which I _never_ agreed…” He took a deep breath, relishing what he was about to do-before the words spilled out like a warm stream of delicious chocolate. “I do not think you will wish to have me any longer. For I lay a _hundred times_ with my love.”

 The words dropped like a thousand tonne weight on the Admiral. His face turned from purple to paper white, as his mouth slowly fell open…one could see the cogs of his brain working behind his eyes.

 Daniel waited, triumphant.

 Then-the Admiral moved.

 Not only did he move-but, like a bull, he began to run, at full pelt, towards Daniel, roaring.

 “ _YOU EVIL, SINFUL, WICKED LITTLE_ -“

 But Daniel did not hear the rest of the sentence. 

 Time began to move very slowly.

 In a single second, Daniel dived out of the path of the advancing monster.

 And in the same second-the Admiral surged straight past him. Past the bannister. Past-past the top stair.

 One second later…he was falling.

 With a series of sickening thuds, thumps, and finally, an enormous, earth-shaking _crack_ of bone…the Admiral crumpled into a heap at the bottom of the stairs.

 Daniel clutched the bannister, frozen in horror.

 As blood began to pool about the Admiral’s head, at an inhuman angle on his broken neck…Daniel screamed.


	17. Dressing Gown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading, and for all your comments and kudos! I appreciate you all so much. Sorry this is so short-I haven't had much time-but more tomorrow! <3 xxx

 At the sound of the scream, two of the Admiral’s aides dropped everything and ran from the master’s study to the stairwell. Neither had known exactly what to expect-but it was certainly not the broken corpse of Admiral Malock, a mess of fractures in a pool of blood. Both were scarcely out of their teens, having been apprenticed to the Admiral by their affluent families in the hopes of climbing another rung of the social ladder. Both boys had lived a life of shelter and comfort. Neither had ever seen a body before.

 Daniel, meanwhile, had flown down the stairs to his father’s side, and knelt at what remained of his head with a most curious expression on his face. His eyes were wide with shock, tears beginning to spill down his cheeks as he stared down at Malock as if doubting his own eyes.

 “ _My God_!” cried the blond aide. “What on Earth has happened?”

 The dark-haired aide by his side said nothing. He only stared blankly at the Admiral, turning a delicate shade of green.

 Daniel swallowed hard. Then, with remarkable composure, he reached out, and took the Admiral’s wrist in both of his hands. He pressed his fingers to the blue veins through the old, transparent skin…and waited. After a moment, he shuddered.

 “He’s gone.”

 Neither aide could believe how calmly Daniel had spoken, even through his tears. Both were at a total loss as for what to do-and yet, here was the Admiral’s delicate ward, taking charge of the situation, almost as if he did such things every day. Neither were sure they had ever held so much as a conversation with Daniel before-Malock never allowed them even to _look_ at him. But the way the Admiral had always spoken of him, as a weak, naïve, silly little flower, Daniel’s true demeanour in the face of the death of his father, came as more than a surprise.

 “There has been a terrible accident…” Daniel was saying, his voice very level as he scrubbed his cheeks clean. Carefully, he lay his father’s hand down, before turning to the aides. With his eyelashes stuck together with tears, he proceeded to give clear, precise instructions.

 “I’m awfully sorry, but what are your names?” he asked, his tone impeccably polite.

 “Er-er- _my God_ …” the blond aide stammered, still gawking at the bloody corpse. “I-I’m R-Rupert.” He glanced quickly at his companion, who looked more capable of vomit than speech. “H-he’s Henry.”

 “Ah,” said Daniel, as he scrubbed his eyes once more. “It is wonderful to properly meet you at last. Though I wish the circumstances were better…” He took a deep breath. “Rupert, I would be very grateful if you would contact the proper authorities, concerning the registration of the death and the removal of my father’s body. I’m afraid I am rather clueless as to procedure, but I have absolute confidence in you.”

 Rupert blinked at Daniel for a moment. Perhaps it was the situation-or perhaps it was the delivery of such polite requests after enduring years of the Admiral’s barking…but, with a few shakes of his head, he came to his senses. “Ah. Right-o. Straight away.”

 “And Henry,” Daniel turned to him, his voice more kindly. “First, I should like you to go directly to my father’s cabinet and pour yourself a large measure of brandy for shock. Then, when you are feeling better, if you wouldn’t mind, please send telegrams to all of Father’s contacts with the news. I would like the funeral to be arranged with all due ceremony, but as quickly as possible. Do you understand?”

 Henry could not speak-but he gave a brief nod, looking grateful for a reason to get away from the scene.

 “Excellent.” said Daniel coolly. “Thank you very much. Now. I should like a moment alone with my father…”

* * *

 The moment the aides were gone, Daniel turned back to the corpse. He was shocked, grief-stricken, and possibly traumatised…but he felt an immense sense of calm inside. Perhaps it was the shock. He did not believe his mind had fully comprehended what had just happened. Still-he decided to take advantage of this moment of tranquillity, and get as much settled as possible.

 He breathed in…and then out…

 “Father…” he whispered, closing his eyes. He wasn't quite addressing the body. Perhaps, now, he was speaking to his father's ghost. “I didn’t want it to end like this. I never wished you harm…” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’m sorry. I’m going to do right by you now. For I am, and will always remain…your loving ward.”

 He bent his head, and kissed the Admiral’s wizened cheek one final time. After everything…this was the only father he had ever known.

 Then…Daniel removed his dressing gown, shivering slightly as he did. He lay the soft, silken material over his father’s face, camouflaging the damage and giving him some semblance of dignity. He sat still for a moment, reflecting in silence.  

 Finally, he rose to his feet. Without looking back, he climbed the stairs, and made his way to the Admiral’s quarters, in search of Sooty.


	18. Guilt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you endlessly for all the love for this story. I can't tell you how touched I am that people are enjoying it! Just thank you. More tomorrow! <3 xxx

“…shall bury him on Tuesday, in accordance with his wishes.” Rupert finished. His small, still adolescent frame looked most peculiar sitting in the Admiral’s enormous crimson chair, behind his desk in the study. In front of him, a vast array of paperwork and official documents, including Malock’s last will and testament, which Rupert had been perusing for some time.

 “What were his wishes?” Daniel asked, sitting in the little leather chair across from him. On his lap, Sooty, liberated from her imprisonment in the Admiral’s quarters, was curled up blissfully, enjoying her first thorough ear-scratching in some time.

 “He makes it very clear that he wanted to be buried at sea.” Rupert answered, making a note of this. “As his best friend was.”

 “Oh.” Once more, Daniel felt a lump rising in his throat. “Yes. My father…” He had almost forgotten the closest friendship of the Admiral’s life was his own real father. Daniel remembered the way Malock had always spoken of him, with reverence and lingering grief. He recalled the pang of jealousy he had always used to feel whenever the subject came up-the injustice that Malock had enjoyed the relationship with his father that Daniel had been denied…guilt stirred in his stomach. It was not proper to think ill of the dead, especially when the dead had been gone for less than an afternoon…

 Daniel wanted to cry. And yet…he found he could not. Why wasn’t he grief-stricken at the death of his father? He was the worst ward who had ever lived, cold-hearted and ungrateful…Then again, Malock had not exactly been a model guardian…when he thought upon how much grief and abuse he had suffered at the hands of the Admiral, Daniel had no idea how he was supposed to feel…

 “Indeed.” Rupert said. He pursed his lips, awkward in the presence of Daniel’s inner turmoil. Quickly, he busied himself with the paperwork, turning the page and scanning the neat black ink. “On the subject of the house, finances, the spice ships, etc…obviously, Mr. Howell, the Admiral has left everything to you.”

 The guilt inside Daniel redoubled. It took him a long moment to find his voice, for his throat had shut once more. “…I see...” he managed to say, feeling his cheeks burn. He was all of a division. On one hand…his freedom was his for the taking, and nothing could ever stand in his way again. He was free, free to build his life as he pleased, and free to be with Philip. That was the most glorious part of all…and yet, it had come at the cost of a life…

 Rupert had been watching Daniel with a mixture of uneasiness and pity. Finally, he opened his mouth. “For what it’s worth, sir…” He swallowed. “I hope I am not speaking out of turn. But really, after all the Admiral put you through…I think you should go easy on yourself.”

 Once more, Daniel expected to cry. Still, his eyes remained dry, his heart heavy. “…I _am_ sorry that he is dead.” he said, feeling ill. “I truly am. But…I can’t help…I can’t help but feel… _liberated_.” He gasped, astonished that he had even spoken these words aloud. “Oh God, I am the worst person who has ever lived!” He buried his face in his hands.

 At this outburst, Rupert gave a strange cough, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Oh no…” he mumbled, as consolingly as he could manage. “No, no…perfectly natural…I’m sure…”

 Daniel took a deep breath. His heart was so full, he thought it would spill out of his chest. There was only one person he wanted to talk to. Only one set of arms he wanted to fall into.

 He needed Philip.

 “Excuse me,” said Daniel, getting to his feet. “I-I need to go out.”

 “Oh-yes!” Rupert tried very hard to cover the sigh of relief he had just breathed. “Yes. Fresh air. Jolly good. All for the best, I think.” In no time at all, he had dived back into his paperwork, firmly returned to his comfort zone.

 Meanwhile, Daniel pulled on his coat, and took a strange route through the house to avoid the main stairwell. The Admiral had not yet been moved, and he did not think he could stand to look at his remains again. The moment when they were finally committed to the ground-or the waves, rather-could not come quickly enough…

 By the time Daniel faced the front door, reaching forwards with a gloved hand to open it…it occurred to him that, since the day he had first arrived as a toddler to the Great House, he had never walked through this door. Now, of course, he could walk through it as often as he pleased…once more, guilt stirred in his stomach. Trying not to think too much about it, he pushed the door open as quickly as he could and rushed out into the wind.

 The air was absolutely bitter, the mist from the morning beginning to swell once more in the streets. Daniel wrapped his coat tighter around himself, shivering. Then, without so much as his instruction, his legs began to walk him away from the Great House, as fast as he could towards Philip’s home.

 No. Wait.

 Where was Philip?

 Filled with dread, Daniel remembered his final conversation with the Admiral, in which he had beseeched him for information regarding Philip. Daniel did not believe the Admiral’s story for a moment-he was certain that Philip would never have let him be taken away from him. However…this probably meant that the Admiral must have incapacitated him in some way…oh God, what if the Admiral had badly hurt him?

 Daniel had surprised himself today with how calm he was able to keep. Now was the time to remain so…he would check Philip’s building first, and then he would go to the bank to see if he had gone to work…if he was nowhere to be found-then, and only then, would Daniel panic.

* * *

 It was time for Daniel to panic.

 Going to the bank had been almost like an out of body experience. Of course, no one there knew who he was, even though he was their most affluent client’s ward. Their late client…the news had yet to reach the centre of the town. Everything continued to run like clockwork. It was the _normality_ of the whole exercise that struck Daniel. How was it that the world could continue to turn as if nothing had happened?

 Daniel’s feet were aching. He was still weak from his illness, and he had never walked so far in his life. All the way to Philip’s, to find no answer at his door…all the way to the bank, to be met with blank expressions…where was Philip? To where could he turn to find him?

 Suddenly-a thought stuck him. Of _course_. Philip’s father worked on the docks! If anyone in the world knew where Philip was, his own family had to be worth a try. And so, with renewed vigour, he turned right around and began to hurry as fast as he could, through the cold, misty afternoon, all the way down to the seashore.

 The wind grew ever more knifing as he neared the water’s edge. It truly was unbearably cold. Even through his thick coat, he could feel the chill all the way through to his bones…he could not imagine what it would be like to work in the elements year round. Winter was certainly drawing near…he quickened his pace, heading as fast as he could towards the docks. Already, he could see men lugging heavy boxes onto carts, just like he had seen the very first night he had gone out with Philip. Trying not to feel nervous of them, he made his way onto the wooden jetty, and strode straight up to the closest man to him-a huge boar of a man with a bald head and holey gloves.

 “Pardon me.” said Daniel politely, as he approached.

 The man turned, his thick arms clutching a large crate to his chest. “’Choo want?” he grunted back, looking at Daniel as if he was a Martian.

 “I’m looking for a Mr. Lester?”

 At this-a strange, dark shadow passed over the man’s face. He wrinkled his nose slightly-before jerking his head in the direction of the little stony beach beside the harbour. “Over there.” he mumbled-before turning his back.

 Feeling more trepidatious than ever, Daniel half-ran towards the wooden staircase that led down onto the sand. Sure enough, at the base of the stairs, there were two men-one short and broad, one much taller, with dark hair and shocking blue eyes. Daniel found that he was indeed looking at Philip-only this Philip was two decades older, more muscular, more weathered-looking. To his relief, he knew beyond a doubt that this was Philip’s father.

 But, as he raced down the stairs-to his astonishment, Philip’s father had dropped to his knees on the pebbles and removed his coat. He was talking to someone…someone who was hidden behind the staircase…

 “… _don’t just stand there, for fuck’s sake_!” he yelled over his shoulder at his companion-who, in turn, began to run so rapidly up the stairs that he almost knocked Daniel flying. Now truly frightened, Daniel leapt down onto the sand and skidded around the staircase, his shoes crunching on the pebbles as he went.

 The scene that he came upon was as terrible the sight of the dead Admiral at the bottom of the stairs.

 There, leaning against the wood, his skin the colour of snow…was Philip. Only he scarcely looked himself at all. His entire body was shaking with the cold as his father covered him with his coat, but his eyes were glazed over, enervated and unseeing as he slipped in and out of consciousness. He was breathing slowly, but very shallow, his chest hardly rising or falling as he did so. And, most horrifyingly of all-he was utterly unresponsive.


	19. Cries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I am SO SORRY about not posting yesterday-I am the actual worst. More tomorrow I promise. Hope you enjoy! xxx

“ _Philip_!” Daniel cried, as he fell to his knees on the sand. The pebbles stung him through his trousers, but he did not care in the slightest. Instead, he crawled closer to Philip, his heart dropping to the pit of his stomach. Never in his life had he seen anyone look this way, so pale, so ill, so cold. How was it possible that Philip-his Philip-could be this way? It scared the life out of Daniel. Instantly, tears began to well behind his eyes, suddenly readily forming-but he blinked them back, concentrating solely on Philip. “Oh, Philip!” He reached out to take Philip’s hand-and almost dropped it as he felt how frozen it was.

 “You know him?” came a gruff, Northern voice from behind. 

 Daniel almost jumped out of his skin. He had quite forgotten that they were not alone. “Yes!” He cupped Philip’s face in his hands, wincing at the iciness of his skin, but holding on as he looked into his eyes. They were unfocused, refusing to meet his-the eyes of someone who was scarcely clinging to life. “What’s wrong with him?”

 “I don’t know...” Philip’s father said, unable to keep the fear from his voice as he looked at his son. “But I’ve seen it before. When our lads on the docks get too cold and wet. They go into a kind of shock…get all dizzy and stupid...then...” 

 He could not bring himself to finish the sentence. 

 Daniel had never felt such fear. 

 “We have to get him warm.” Philip’s father said, shaking his head slightly as if to dispel bad thoughts. “Slowly though-the sudden change-it can...well.” He shook his head again, a vein pulsing in his jaw. “We just need to get him out of the cold…”

 “We’ll take him to my house.” said Daniel, still cradling Philip’s face. He could not believe that his eyes could be open, and yet so unseeing. “It’s not far. Can you help me get him up?”

 Between the two of them, Daniel and Philip’s father managed to get Philip to his feet, supporting his weight between the two of them. In that manner, they climbed the wooden stairs and set off, as quickly as they could, towards the Great House. Philip’s head lolled sickeningly in front of him, as he dragged his feet along the cobbles. Of his surroundings, of his father and Daniel, he was absolutely unaware. He was like a zombie.  

 Daniel’s heart was breaking. He simply could not believe it. It was as if a demon of some sort had possessed Philip, turning that warmest of hearts to ice. It was unbearable…but Daniel pushed through, knowing that he had to be strong for him. “Philip, darling, can you hear me?” he whispered, his voice desperate. “Please say something!”

 Philip did not acknowledge him whatsoever.

 “You’re Daniel, aren’t you?”

 Daniel looked over Philip’s head at his father. Those identical blue eyes cut him to the core. “Yes?” he said, surprised. He was unused to people recognising him. “How did you know? Did Philip tell you about me?”

 Philip’s father raised a dark eyebrow slightly. “Never bloody shuts up about you. Do you, lad?” he said, jogging Philip slightly, as if everything was perfectly normal. Still, no response-but, unless Daniel was very much mistaken-he lifted his head the smallest fraction. This filled Daniel with a rush of hope…however, he made no further sign that he could hear or understand. Daniel could only quicken their pace, focusing only on getting Philip in front of a fire.

 “You’re gonna be alright…” Philip’s father murmured-perhaps more to himself than his son. His voice betrayed no fear-but his eyes were very wide. “You’re gonna be alright…”

 “I’m here, darling…” Daniel whispered, slightly breathless from half-carrying Philip, but determined. “Don’t worry…we’re going to make you better…hold on…”

 Once more-Philip’s head gave the slightest twitch. Still, forebodingly, he made no sound.

 “We’re here!” said Daniel finally, as he steered Philip up the High Street. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Philip’s father blink, then frown, as if certain this could not be right-surely they could not truly be bound for the Great House? But he was far too concerned for his son to think too much on it as Daniel helped him get Philip up the stairs. As quickly as he could, Daniel yanked the door open and pulled Philip through. The burst of warmth as they made their way inside was instantaneous.

 “Hello!” Daniel called desperately into the house. “Please! Which fires are lit?”

 A pause-then, Rupert came running into the entrance hall, an expression of upmost confusion on his face to see Daniel and a docker lugging a complete stranger, who appeared half-dead, into the house.

 “What the devil is this?”

 “Please!” Daniel beseeched him not to ask questions. “A fire!”

 “Er…” Rupert thought quickly, his eyes darting around as if mentally checking a map of the house. “The drawing room! I’m sure the drawing room is lit!”

 “Thank you!” said Daniel, instantly bringing Philip forth. “Can someone fetch a doctor?”

 “I’ll go!” Philip’s father, easily the fastest in the room, and noticeably out of his depth in such a grand house, spoke up at once. He turned to Philip, and gave him the quickest of hugs, before sprinting out of the open front door, letting it bang behind him. The last of the icy wind was banished.

 “Rupert, will you find some blankets?”

 Daniel was left alone to guide Philip through to the drawing room, supporting him around the shoulders and the waist, forcing him to keep moving. So wrapped up was Daniel in the care of the man he loved that he quite forgot the previous events of that afternoon. Therefore, it was terrible shock when Daniel led Philip into the stairwell, through which the drawing room could be accessed, to find the Admiral’s body, still crumpled under Daniel’s dressing gown, lying at the foot of the stairs. Daniel actually gave a small cry of horror-but he gritted his teeth, closing his eyes to all but Philip as he led him on.

 The drawing room was dark as always, and looked most strange in Malock’s absence. Daniel doubted he had ever set foot in here, with the endless boring sea-faring tomes and hard crimson furniture, without his guardian present. However, the fire roared reassuringly, and Daniel made a beeline for it.

 “Nearly there,” he whispered to Philip, before carefully sitting him down on the red rug in front of the flames. “There we are, darling. You’re going to be alright, you’ll see.” He knelt down and wrapped his arms around Philip, using his own body heat to gently warm him. “I’m here. I love you. You’re going to be fine…” He held him close for a few minutes, praying harder than he had ever prayed in his life. “Oh Philip, can you hear me?” His voice cracked, and hot tears began to spill down his cheeks. “Please, darling, if you can, say something!”

 A long silence followed. Daniel continued to weep, his tears falling into Philip’s hair as he waited desperately. “ _Please_ …” he whispered, as the minutes stretched. “ _Please…please_ …”

 Nothing.

 However…very, very slowly…Philip’s breathing began to even out. He began to breathe deeper, more naturally…his shivering began to subside…

 Daniel held onto him, waited. His heart was thudding so hard in his chest he was certainly Philip would be able to hear it.

 Then…at long last…Philip stirred.

 “ _Urrgghh_ …”

 It was an ugly, guttural sound, unshaped by numb lips-but it was music to Daniel.  

 “ _Philip_!” Daniel was so overjoyed that his tears flowed thick and fresh. “Oh, thank God, thank God!” Crying and laughing at once, he began to kiss every inch of Philip’s face, hardly daring to believe it. “It’s alright. Everything is alright. Oh Philip, never, never scare me like that again! I love you, I love you, I love you!”

 “ _Urgh_ …” Philip murmured, still dopey as he blinked hard, attempting to focus his eyes. Then, when they finally met Daniel’s-they grew wide with astonishment. “ _D…Daniel_?”

 “Yes, darling!” Daniel sang, still holding him as tightly as he could. “I’m here. I have you, and I am never going to let you go again! Stay close, you are still very cold…” He kissed him a final time, lingering as long as he could. “But you’re safe now. You’re with me…”

 Philip was still staring at Daniel as if he was a ghost. “ _B-but_ …” he slurred. “ _But_ … _y-you’re dead_!”

 Daniel sighed, taking both of his pale hands in his own and gently warming them. Bless him, he did not know what he was saying… “I thought you were, for a second! But you’re not, and thank God…”

 “ _N-no_ …” Philip seemed insistent. Clumsily, he pulled one hand away and clutched it to Daniel’s cheek, as if checking he was real. “ _You…the f-fever_ …”

 “No?” Daniel was beginning to get suspicious. “I pulled through, darling, just like you’re going to. Rest now. You can’t upset yourself-“

 “ _No_.” Philip said firmly-before closing his eyes once more, his face holding a thousand years of grief. “ _Y-you’re n-not real_! _I-I can’t_ -“

 “ _Philip_!” Daniel shouted, frightened tears gathering behind his eyes once more. “I’m real! _You’re_ real! Whatever are you talking about? Look!” He took Philip’s hand, and pressed it hard to his own chest. Beneath his coat, his heart thudded, scared, but certain. “You see?”

 Philip was silent for a long moment as he felt Daniel’s heartbeat. Then, slowly, as the last of the frozen haze melted away…his own eyes flooded with tears. “ _You’re alive_ …” he whispered. “ _You’re really alive…”_ Finally, with a great cry, he buried his face in Daniel’s chest, sobbing bitterly into him with huge, shuddering gasps.

 “Of course I am!” Daniel still did not understand, though he patted Philip’s back comfortingly. “Why did you think I was _dead_?”

 “ _Your_ …” Philip gulped, hardly able to choke out the words. “ _Your…father…W-when he took you...he s-said you’d-you’d died!”_

 It took Daniel a full minute to process what he had just heard. Suddenly, everything made sense. Why he had wound up back at the Great House. Why Philip had not come back for him. Why he had just found Philip half-frozen upon the beach…Daniel took a deep breath. When his mind turned to his father-his late father-who had done something so unspeakable to Philip…his heart turned as hard as stone. Now he understood why he had not been able to cry for him-though he had cried so readily for Philip. Though he had been his father in many ways…Admiral Malock was a cold, malicious monster in every other. He had almost ruined both of their lives…

 Daniel wanted to scream. He simply could not bear feeling so confused, so cold, so guilty…the boy he loved had almost just died in his arms…the only father he had ever known, who was an evil man, lay dead outside the door…He shuddered. Finally, with nothing left in him to give, he ducked his head and began to weep afresh into Philip’s hair.

 “It’s alright…” he whispered between sobs. “We’re alright…I love you…”


	20. Open

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Wow, this is the shortest chapter I have ever posted in my life! I am so sorry, but I have been ridiculously busy today. More tomorrow! Thank you all so so much for reading this-we are coming to the ending now! I hope you will stay tuned until then. Much love xxx

 By the time the doctor arrived, Philip had been well and truly looked after. Sitting on the floor of the drawing room in front of the fire, an enormous blanket around his shoulders, with Daniel holding him close, warm and gloriously alive, how could one possibly not feel better? The doctor had quickly declared Philip fit, and charged Daniel an extraordinary amount for doing so, before prescribing bed-rest with plenty of hot tea. That done, he bustled out of the Great House and back into the wind. It had hardly been worth calling him-but, Daniel insisted, it was better safe than sorry.

 “We’ll do that then,” he said calmly, kissing Philip’s forehead. “Rupert, would you mind terribly asking the kitchens to bring a fresh pot to my bedroom?”

 Rupert (the blond aide), hesitated slightly. “Of course. Though I think everyone is a little…in shock…at the moment. So it may take slightly longer than normal.”

 “Yes, I completely understand,” Daniel nodded, his attention solely with Philip. “Tell them not to worry. Whenever they are ready. And could you please ensure that a message reaches Mr. Lester, informing him that his son will make a full recovery? You will find him at the docksides, anxiously awaiting you.”

 “At once,” said Rupert, getting up and stretching. “Oh-and the Master has been moved. He is reposing in the master bedroom.”

 “Wait.” Philip murmured, confused, having listened warily to the previous exchange. He did not understand the word “reposing”-but it did not sound good. “Has something happened?”

 “Thank you, Rupert.” said Daniel, as he dismissed the aide. “We shall discuss the particulars upon your return. Make sure you wrap up warm now.” He gave Philip a squeeze, smiling sadly as he did so. “I am not sure my heart can handle any more disaster today…”

 “What’s wrong?” Philip asked again, more than a little concerned. “Is something the matter with your father?”

 Daniel waited until the door had shut behind Rupert. Then, very quietly, with a strange expression on his face, he spoke. “This afternoon…there was a terrible accident. My father was…killed.”

 Philip felt as though he had just been winded. He stared at Daniel in utter disbelief…before spluttering aloud. “ _What_?”

 “A couple of hours before I found you,” Daniel explained, his voice entirely matter-of-fact, as if they were discussing the weather. “He fell down the stairs.”

 Philip’s jaw was practically resting on the floor at this extraordinary news. If Daniel’s lips hadn’t moved, he would have sworn he had imagined it. It seemed entirely impossible that something so momentous had happened…Still. Philip had to fight to keep his face respectful. The man was barely cold; it was utterly improper that a firework of pure joy had just exploded in Philip’s chest…

 “My God…” he breathed, doing his best to look serious. “Jesus. I-I’m terribly sorry, Daniel. How awful.”

 Daniel raised an eyebrow slightly. “You’re not sorry…” He sighed, his eyes fixed on the floor. “A horrible, wicked part of me isn’t sorry either. But I am sure I will be devastated to have lost my father soon enough…”

 Philip could only blink as he processed all this. Then-he reached out his aching arms, and pulled Daniel close to him once more. “You’re not horrible, or wicked, at all. You must be so confused, sweetheart-but you are not a bad person for feeling the way you do. I cannot begin to imagine _how_ you are feeling…but you mustn’t beat yourself up. It will only make things worse for you…”

 Daniel leaned into him, burying his face in Philip’s shoulder as the fire crackled behind them. He gave another sigh, quivering slightly as he did so. “It is so difficult…oh Philip, after everything that has happened today, I am just glad that you are safe!”

 “As am I…” Philip kissed his hair hard, thinking upon the darkness that had consumed him when he thought he had lost the boy he loved…he would spend his whole life fighting never to feel that way again. Now, he was absolutely certain-in this new world, free of tyranny in this house, he knew that he would stay with Daniel and love him even beyond his last day on Earth. “I love you so much…”

 “I love you too.” said Daniel instantly, his voice becoming rather thick.

 “And…thank you,” Philip took Daniel’s hand and clutched it tightly in both of his own, thinking of the miracle it was that their lives had become entwined, and gave a sort of soft, wonky chuckle. “Thank you for saving my life!”

 Daniel made a small, dismissive noise, shaking his head modestly-but he kissed him again, his eyes filled with tears. “Thank you for saving _mine_ …” He snuggled into Philip, as if he could not bear to ever be parted from him. And he never would be. “If we had never met, I would have wasted away in this house. But now…I am truly _free_.”


	21. Windows Again

 “…and so what becomes of this house?”

 Daniel spent a long while taking in this question. Across the desk from him, Rupert sat, the Admiral’s Will in hand, waiting to hear what would come next.

 He looked all around the oak-panelled, crimson-furnished study his father had spent so much time in. It hardly seemed five minutes ago that Malock had been sitting in this very chair, signing papers and barking orders. How was it, then, that the man had been dead for two whole days, lying in a weighted coffin in his bedroom above them, waiting to be thrown into the sea and never seen again? He stared up at the high, vaulting ceiling, picturing him lying there in his habitual pristine naval uniform and full decorations, exactly as he had been in life-only now, he was pale and stone cold. Still, every time he heard footsteps, Daniel half expected to see his father stride through the door. This enormous house felt so empty without his vast, all-encompassing presence.

 Finally, he looked at Philip, who was sitting beside him, dressed in freshly pressed clothes and looking healthier than ever, after a few days of devoted care by Daniel and three hot meals a day.

 “What do you think?”

 Philip looked surprised, and rather abashed, to be asked his opinion on such matters. “I would never presume to-“

 “But I want to know your thoughts.” Daniel’s voice had taken on a rather desperate tone. “What do you think we ought to do about the house?” He paused. “Do you…want to live here? With me?”

 Philip was silent for a moment. Then, he gave Daniel a small, understanding smile. “I obviously want to live wherever you are. At the end of the day, it is utterly your decision, and I will be delighted with whatever you chose. However…I am not sure that you will ever be truly happy if you stay in this house. It would be as a millstone around your neck. I think you have spent far too much time here already, and you need to move on.”

 Daniel nodded slowly. Of course, Philip was right. He knew him so well.

 “I will sell it, then,” he said, hardly believing that he was speaking the words, that he would finally be leaving the Great House forever…but he kept his head, focusing hard on the task in hand. There were so many matters to deal with now-he would save sentimentality for when he and Philip were alone later. “Rupert, if you wouldn’t mind, I should like to find a buyer as soon as possible. Meanwhile, I will personally write excellent references for all domestic members of staff here and shall ensure that they either stay on with the new resident or find a suitable position elsewhere. All should also be given a handsome final bonus from me for all their years of excellent service to a… _challenging_ …master.”

 “Very good, sir.” said Rupert, smiling as he made a note of all this. Daniel had not forgotten the kindness of the staff on his terrible birthday, and he wished to take good care of them. “I shall start looking immediately.”

 “And so will we.” said Daniel, with an excited glance at Philip. “Now, Rupert. The same right is extended to you and Henry. You have the option of looking for other employment if you wish, however, if you want to continue to work _with_ me, I would welcome you both with open arms. If I am to take over my father’s trading ships, I would be very grateful for your expertise.”

 “I would be honoured to work with you, sir,” Rupert grinned broadly at him, ecstatic at the prospect of not being yelled at by his employer each and every day.

 “Excellent,” said Daniel, extending a hand across the desk and firmly shaking Rupert’s. “It wouldn’t be the same without you, sir. I am sure you will have a lot to teach me.”

 “We will have ample time to learn together,” said Rupert, looking extremely pleased. Then-he too turned to Philip. “And what about Philip here? Surely you wish to make him a partner? He is a smart fellow-I am sure he would be an asset.”

 Once more, Philip blinked, rendered speechless for a few seconds. “What?”

 “Well...What do you think?” Daniel asked earnestly. “You and I, working together? You would be catapulted from your position at the bank into one far more reflective of your extraordinary work ethic. It’s all you have ever wanted…now, you may have it. So...?”

 He waited, slightly anxiously, for the response.

 Philip spent a long moment mulling this proposal over. Then, to Daniel’s astonishment...he shook his head.

 “No.”

 “ _What_?” Daniel could not believe his ears. 

 “No,” Philip repeated, smiling at Daniel with very soft eyes. “I thank you sincerely, but I have done nothing to earn such a position. I wish to continue at the bank, and work my way up, as I have always planned.”

 Daniel remembered the first evening he had ever spent with Philip, when he told him of his life, his struggles, his dreams. That same rush of respect and admiration filled him once again, and he could do nothing but reach out, and take Philip’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “So be it.”

 Philip grinned back, a twinkle in his eyes. “See you at the top..." 

* * *

_Four months later_

* * *

 

 Sooty stared up at the curtain rail, her little tail wiggling as she prepared to spring. There was only six feet of navy blue material between her and glory…

 “Sooty…” came a stern voice from behind her. “Don’t even think about it.”  

 Pointedly, she ignored the warning, and sprung upward, sinking her claws into the brand new curtains and beginning to climb.

 “ _No_ , Sooty!” Daniel flung his book aside, sprung up from the sofa and hurried to peel Sooty off. “We’ve talked about this, silly cat! Don’t you ever listen?”

 Sooty merely glanced carelessly up at him, before snuggling in his arms and beginning to purr.

 “Bless her.” said Philip mildly, not looking up from his pile of paperwork.

 “She’s never going to learn if you let her get away with everything!” Daniel set her down on the floor, facing away from the now-claw-marked curtains. “We’ve only lived here a few weeks-I would quite like to keep the place looking nice for a while at least!”

 “It _does_ look nice,” said Philip, setting down his pen and smiling as he looked around the drawing room. It was very bright, with large windows to let the early spring sunlight in, through which the sea could be seen rolling in the distance. The entire house was extremely bright and open, the polar opposite of the Great House’s dark-and-crimson gloom, and it seemed to welcome the sea air rather than shut it out. The furniture they had chosen was for comfort as well as fashion, and Sooty wasn’t alone in her appreciation of this decision. It was a welcoming, cosy place, not so large that the two of them could not keep it in order themselves, but not so small that they were cramped on top of one another. After months of hunting for a place to live together, when they had discovered this gem, just the right distance between the town centre and work, and the ocean and pleasure, both had known instantly that this was perfect. “This house is better than anything I could ever have imagined…”

 “Not if Sooty has anything to do with it.” said Daniel, shaking her head fondly at the kitten, who was already scampering back towards the window. This time, however, she hopped straight up onto the windowsill, bobbing her head back and forth as she looked out at the outside world. Then-she turned to Daniel, and let out a loud, high-pitched _mew-mew_!

 “Again?” Philip chuckled at her as he got to his feet, stretching. “She really loves it out there, doesn’t she?”

 “I know the feeling…” Daniel watched as Philip unclipped the window latch, and watched as Sooty’s little black tail disappeared over the pane, eager to explore the town once again. “If she starts bringing back little dead birds, I shall be absolutely devastated.”

 “About the bird or the dirt?” Philip quipped, watching her go. He half-turned, and extended a hand behind him to Daniel. “Come and see.”

 Daniel rolled his eyes-but he hurried forward, taking Philip’s hand and letting him lead him over to the window. Through the glass, they watched as Sooty scurried about on the cobbles outside, chasing leaves in the breeze, pouncing and playing to her heart’s content. Freedom suited her. It suited her master too.

 “If I get that promotion tomorrow,” said Philip, squeezing Daniel’s hand. “I shall buy her all the yarn in town.”

 Daniel giggled softly. “I wouldn’t even put that past you…” He turned to Philip, seeing the sheer hope and happiness on his face as he watched their kitten play, and could not help but kiss him. Never had he ever imagined that life could be so wonderful…

 “Shall we go down to the sea-shore?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! I cannot thank you all enough for reading this story, and for all your support along the way. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. 
> 
> I am currently working on a rather special project, so it may be a while before I post anything else...Until then, this has been your friend, QuietBubbles <3 xxx


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